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Class_ i_ 

Book_s_—_ 

Copyright N?__ 


CCPI’RIGHT DEPOSIT. 

















































HISTORY AND CIVICS 

GRADE 5A 

FIFTH YEAR —FIRST HALF 


d 


BY 


GILES J. SWAN, A.M., Ph.D. 


PRINCIPAL OF PUBLIC SCHOOL 144 
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 



AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY 

NEW YORK . CINCINNATI CHICAGO 

c <L ’\ c f 2. K - 


K i?? 


Copyright, 1913, 1915, by 
GILES J. SWAN. 

Copyright, 1924, by 
AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY. 


HIST. AND CIV. 5A. 
W. P. 12 





Made in U. S. A. 



©CiA81507t> 


n 


! 



PREFACE 


There has been a constant demand on the part of teach¬ 
er for definite plans of work in the various subjects of 
their grades. In arithmetic and some other subjects, this 
demand has been met by books giving work by terms. 
This book aims, in a similar way, to cover one term’s work 
in history and civics. It is designed to meet the require¬ 
ments of the Course of Study prescribed by the City of 
New York for these subjects in the first half of the fifth 
year. It supplies plan, method, and content. 

A treatment of this kind, while definite, is not in any 
sense narrowing, for it permits the teacher to devote the 
time spent in the preparation of the lesson to acquiring 
illustrative and amplifying material from source books and 
collateral reading. 

The form of treatment is biographical and narrative, be¬ 
cause children in this grade — usually ten or eleven years 
old — are most easily appealed to through story-telling 
and the living interest of biography. The grouping of the 
discoverers and explorers has been made according to na¬ 
tionality, and under each nationality according to chrono¬ 
logical order. The six colonies required to be taught in 
this grade, Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode 
Island, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, have been treated 
in the order of their settlement. Life in each colony is 
treated incidentally in the narrative while the study of 
the colonies closes with a comparative treatment of their 
manners, customs, and mode of living. 


iv 


PREFACE 


The two special merits claimed for the following pages 
are economy of time and definiteness. Economy of time 
is secured by the arrangement in lessons, with due regard 
for the amount of time at the teacher’s disposal, and the 
ability of the average pupil. Definiteness is obtained by 
the side notes, which help the pupil to get the thought, 
and by the summaries and questions at the end of each 
lesson, which call the pupil’s attention to what is essential 
in the lesson learned. 

An additional advantage gained from the arrangement 
of this book is that substitute teachers taking the places 
of absent teachers may continue the teaching of history 
from the point where the regular teacher left off. They 
may make definite progress, and hand the class back to 
its teacher up to grade in this subject. 

Maps and illustrations have been inserted profusely, as 
history cannot be studied properly without a clear knowl¬ 
edge of the place setting of events. The teacher should 
supplement these as far as possible by the use of wall 
maps, and by appropriate pictures culled from newspapers 
and magazines. Pupils will be glad to help in this and it 
is a good way to stimulate their interest in the subject. 

Acknowledgment is due to Associate Superintendent 
William L. Ettinger and District Superintendent Benja¬ 
min Veit, for reading the manuscript and offering helpful 
suggestions. The author wishes also to acknowledge his 
indebtedness to his wife, for her assistance in the prepara¬ 
tion of the manuscript. 


TO THE TEACHER 


In the time schedule for this grade, from ninety to one 
hundred fifty minutes a week are allowed for the study of 
History and Civics. The author believes that one hun¬ 
dred twenty minutes of this time is not too much to 
devote to these subjects. Ninety minutes, divided into 
three thirty minute periods, should be allowed for the les¬ 
sons proper, while the remaining thirty minutes should be 
allotted to the preparation of the lessons — ten minutes* 
preparation for each lesson. At such times, the teacher 
should have the lesson read and any difficult words or 
expressions may be explained in advance, so that the his¬ 
tory or civics lesson itself may deal only with the thought 
involved. In a term of nineteen weeks, fifty-five les¬ 
son periods will be available, permitting the Civics to be 
covered in eleven lesson periods and the History in forty- 
four. 

Teachers should aim to give careful consideration to 
the summary and questions following each history lesson. 
These summaries and questions are not given for home 
work. They are meant to enable the pupil to get the 
pith of the lesson while the memory of its reading and 
discussion is still fresh in his mind. Ten or fifteen min¬ 
utes of the thirty minute period may profitably be devoted 
to the summaries and questions. 

It is advisable to begin the Civics after the completion 
of the chapter on the Spanish explorers, making the third 
lesson of each week a Civics lesson. 

For the convenience of teachers, the course of study for 
History and Civics, 5A, is given in the following pages. 

v 


COURSE OF STUDY FOR HISTORY AND 
CIVICS, GRADE 5A 


American history from the discovery of America through the period of 
colonization, with important related European history. 

Problems of city life in the home. Duties of young citizens. 

SYLLABUS 

Note. — The topics here given constitute a minimum syllabus for this 
grade. It is to be definitely understood, however, that teachers, with 
the approval of their principals, shall exercise their own judgment in 
determining to what extent each topic shall be elaborated. 

History. Discovery and Exploration: Selections to be made from 
the following list: Columbus, the Cabots, Vespucius, Balboa, Magellan, 
Cortez, De Leon, De Soto, Drake, Raleigh, Cartier, Champlain, Hudson. 

The Beginning of Colonization: The history of the founding of New 
York, Virginia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Pennsyl¬ 
vania, with important related European history. 

1. The story of the settlers — what kind of men they were and why 
they came. 

2. Leaders — Peter Minuit, Peter Stuyvesant, John Smith, Governor 
Bradford, Miles Standish, William Penn, the Calverts. 

3. Location of each colony — its climate and general physical fea¬ 
tures. 

4. Early days in the colonies — typical stories of hardships, manners, 
customs, and occupations. Enlivening anecdotes and special incidents of 
persons and places should be related by the teacher; they should be 
illustrated as far as possible by pictures. 

The following dates, and the event associated with each of them, should 
be memorized: 

1492, Columbus 1609, Hudson River 

1588, Drake and Spanish Armada 1620, Pilgrims 

1607, Jamestown 1623, Settlement of New Amsterdam 

1664, English Conquest of New Amsterdam 

Historic Landmarks and Monuments in the City of New York : To be 
identified and connected with the historic events, such as Bowling Green, 
the Bowery, St. Mark’s, and any statues, houses, and tablets commemo¬ 
rating persons and events studied in this grade. 

Current Events: Any important occurrence that is closely related to the 
topics of the grade, and any other occurrence that may become historical 
in significance. 


COURSE OE STUDY 


Vll 


SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS 

The teacher may profitably arrange related topics of each grade around 
a central thought. When thus presented the topics reenforce and em¬ 
phasize one another like the successive stages of an unfolding plot of a 
story. 

The relation of each topic to this general idea as well as to the topics 
already presented affords opportunity for reviews from different points 
of view, far more effective than the mere rehearsal of facts usually termed 
drill. 

As a result of such organized treatment, the children are not bewildered 
by a mass of fragmentary facts as is the case when they have been taught 
a series of unrelated stories. The power thus gained may be tested by 
their ability to give short summaries of a topic or of the entire work of 
the term. 

Civics. — Problems of city life in the home. Duties of young citizens. 

Note. — The topics here given constitute a minimum syllabus for the 
grade. It is to be definitely understood, however, that teachers, with 
the approval of their principals, shall exercise their own judgment in 
determining to what extent each topic shall be elaborated. 

Food : Visit, if possible, the markets and milk stations. Great 
amount of food needed in large city. Distance it is brought; the way it 
is handled; necessity for care and cleanliness; selling of spoiled food 
criminal. What the city is doing to protect its citizens from spoiled 
or tainted food; inspectors; expense of this care and watchfulness to 
the city. Who pays for it, and how ? 

Reciprocal duties, to demand clean service from the milk dealer, grocer, 
fish man, butcher, and baker; to report careless handling of food or the 
selling of spoiled food. 

Water : Supply throughout the city; needed everywhere; begin with 
supply in house. Where does it come from ? Trace from faucet to 
stream. Who pays for piping and reservoirs ? How is water paid for ? 
Why is it cheap ? Uses of water. Importance of purity. Meters. 
No leaks should be allowed. 

Reciprocal duties of citizens, not to waste water because it is freely 
supplied; to report leaks to teachers; to keep water pure; to use freely 
for cleanliness. 

Housing the People : Advantages of light, cleanliness, and ventila¬ 
tion ; people protected by building laws; gas and its uses; the burner, 
the gas pipe, meter, street pipes, the central plant of manufacture. Treat 
in same way electricity; telephone; sewerage in each house. Expense 
to the city of arranging for and supervising all public service. Paid for 
in taxes. 

Reciprocal duties of citizens, to use public property with care and to 
protect it. 


CONTENTS 


PART I. HISTORY 

Chapter I. The Spanish Explorers . 

Columbus, 1 — Amerigo Vespucci, 23— Ponce de 
Leon, 25—Balboa, 28 — Magellan, 33 — Cor¬ 
tes, 40 — De Soto, 53. 

Chapter II. The English Explorers . 

The Cabots, 63 — Drake, 69 — Raleigh, 83 —- 
Hudson, 93. 

Chapter III. The French Explorers . 

Cartier, 106 — Champlain, 113. 

Chapter IV. The Beginnings of Colonization 
Virginia, 124 — New York, 157 — Massachusetts, 
194 — Rhode Island, 217 — Maryland, 222 — 
Pennsylvania, 233 — Life in the Colonies, 241. 

PART II. CIVICS 

Departments of Health, Water, Tenements, 

and Parks . 

Food, 261 — Water, 271 — Housing of the People, 
281 — Gas and its Uses, 286 — Electric Lights, 
290 — The Telephone, 292 — The Sewer, 296 
— Care of Public Property, 297o 


PAGES 

1-62 

63-105 

106-123 

124-260 

261-301 


Index 


303-309 



PART I—HISTORY 



CHAPTER I 


THE SPANISH EXPLORERS 


LESSON I 


COLUMBUS. —Most of us have sometime or other 
wondered when the first people came to this land of 
ours and where they came from. Our country 
to-day has many 
millions of people, 
many cities and 
farms, railroads, 
steamships, and 
thousands of other 
signs of civilized 
life. Strange in¬ 
deed it seems that 
a little more than 
four hundred ye^rs 
ago no white men 

o+ oil liirorl in 

America. Indians Columbus 


America 

before 

Columbus 

came 


X 


o 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


Birth and 
education 


Boyhood 


lived in scattered villages or roamed through the 
forests, hunting the deer, foxes, bears, and other 
animals that abounded everywhere. At that time 
the number of Indians in this whole country was 
scarcely more than one twelfth of the number of 
people now living in New York City. But the 
Indian tribes owned all the land, for there was no 
other race to dispute their ownership. 

Columbus. Early Life. — However, the land of the 
Indian was not to be his forever, but it might have 
belonged to him a great deal 
longer if Christopher Columbus 
had never lived. 

Columbus was born at Genoa, 
Italy, about 1446. His parents 
were humble people; his father, 
Dominico Columbus, was a wool 
comber by trade. In his early 
years, Christopher naturally helped 
his father in the business of wool 
combing, but he also learned to 
read and write and became quite 
skillful at drawing maps and sea 
charts. 

When he had time to spare, he 
wandered down to the! docks of 
his native city to play about the 
ships that were there being loaded 
and unloaded, for Genoa was one 



Birthplace of Co¬ 
lumbus 







COLUMBUS 


of the principal seaports of Europe, and had been 
the busy center of a rich trade with India and 
China for many years. The sight of the ships 
coming and going at the wharves, the stories he 
heard from the sailors, and the inviting smell of 
the salt sea air, made young Columbus want to be 
a sailor, and. when fourteen years of age he sailed 
as cabin boy with a certain Captain Columbus, not 
related to him, though having the same name. 

Some of his early voyages were little more than 
pirate or robbing expeditions, and during one of these, 
the ship Columbus was on caught fire after a fight 
that had lasted a whole day. He was obliged to 
jump overboard, but with an oar to hold him up, he 
swam to land on the shore of Africa, six miles away. 
This experience did not keep Columbus from going 
to sea again. The sailors he met told wonderful 
stories of far-off China and Japan. 

What these stories were like we may judge from the 
book of Marco Polo, a native of Venice, who jour¬ 
neyed overland to China in 1271; in this book 
Polo speaks of Cambalu (Peking), where the great 
ruler Kublai Khan had his winter palace with a roof 
of gold, and a stable containing five thousand ele¬ 
phants. He says, too, that in the empire of the 
Khan nuts grew to the size of melons, and that rich 
spices, silks, and precious stones could be had in 
plenty. Polo also told of Cipango (Japan), island 
of pearls, where the streets were paved with gold and 


Columbus 
becomes a 
sailor 


Marco 
Polo’s 
story of 
the East 


4 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


where the floors of palaces were made of gold “ two 
fingers in thickness.” Southeast of Asia were is¬ 
lands of “ the Indies ” famed for their spices, which 
were then highly prized in Europe, both to flavor and 
to preserve food. 



The Known World in 1490, and Trade Routes 


Trade Routes to the East. — Is it any wonder 

that men wanted to see these lands, and braved the 

ocean in their little ships to get a share of their 

treasures of silks, spices, and jewels ? Now, however, 
Turks • 

block the °ld ways by ship and caravan were blocked at the 
land route eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea by the hated 





COLUMBUS 


5 


Turk. So Prince Henry of Portugal, the ruler most 
interested in voyages at that time, encouraged his 
sea captains to try to reach India entirely by ship, 
sailing around the southern end of Africa. In 1471, 
a Portuguese navigator sailed south beyond the 
equator, and in 1487, Bartholomew Dias, another 
bold sailor, was driven out of sight of land by a furi¬ 
ous storm while sailing down the African coast. 
When the weather cleared he sailed east; but not 
coming to the coast, he turned northward. He 
thus went around the southern end of Africa without 
at first knowing it. After following the coast some 
distance east and northeast, he returned to report 
his great success. Columbus’s brother was one of 
those who made this wonderful voyage. Indeed, 
the great discoverer himself may have sailed far 
down the African coast with some Portuguese ex¬ 
pedition, for he was in Portugal at times from 1470 
to 1484. 

The Belief in a Westward Route to the East. — 

When on land Columbus made his living by drawing 
charts and sea maps. He studied the charts of 
others, and also read accounts of their voyages. 
Little by little he came to believe that the earth is 
round and that he could reach eastern Asia by 
sailing westward across the ocean. 

Columbus was not the only man who believed that 
the Indies, as the southeastern parts of Asia were 
called, could be reached by sailing westward. The 


Portuguese 
sail around 
Africa 


6 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


Signs of 
land west 
of Europe 


In Por¬ 
tugal 


natives of the Madeira Islands told him about small 
boats of strange shape and of bodies of people dark 
in color that had been washed up on their western 
shores. Columbus was strengthened in his beliefs, 
also, by reading in some ancient writings that the 
earth is a sphere and that the distance to China and 
the Indies going westward from Europe was only 
half as great as it was going eastward. Besides this, 
his friend, the Italian astronomer Toscanelli, had 
sent Columbus a map and had written him letters 
in which he showed that Asia could be reached 
by sailing westward from Europe across but one 
ocean. 

Columbus Seeks Help. — Most of those, however, 
who believed that land lay to the westward, thought 
it impossible to sail to the Indies across the Atlantic 
Ocean, with the ships then in use. Columbus de¬ 
clared it was easy and could be done in thirty or 
forty days. It was one thing to believe this, and 
quite a different thing to make others believe it. 
Portugal, as we have seen, was the country that paid 
most attention to voyages of exploration; so Co¬ 
lumbus, in 1484, spoke to the Portuguese king, John 
II, about his ideas and plans. John listened and 
seemed to think well of the navigator’s scheme. 
Then he asked the advice of the learned men of his 
court, who said that Columbus was dreaming. The 
king, however, secretly sent out a ship to see if 
Columbus was right. This ship soon came back 


COLUMBUS 


7 


because the sailors were afraid to go out upon the 
unknown ocean. 

Hearing of this secret expedition, Columbus would 
have no more to do with John, and with his young 
son, Diego, started for the court of Spain. On the 



At the Convent 


way, he begged bread and water at the gate of a 
convent near Palos. He was invited to come in, and 
the Father Superior of the convent listened to his 
strange story. He found a friend in the good priest. 





8 


Columbus at Court 



















































































































































































































COLUMBUS 


9 


who gave him a letter to a priest of the Spanish 
court, confessor to the queen. 

Upon his arrival at the court, Columbus presented 
the letter to the priest. His heart beat high with 
hope, but the priest, after reading the letter and 
listening to what its bearer had to say, shook his 
head, to show his disbelief, and coldly bade the 
great sailor good-day. Columbus did not give 
up. He waited six long years for a hearing with 
the queen of Spain. In the X meantime, he sent his 
brother Bartholomew to Henry VII of England, but 
that king would not help him. Finally, he gained 
the ear of the queen’s treasurer, and soon by his 
aid received an audience with the king and queen. 

King Ferdinand called a council of wise men just 
as King John of Portugal had done. These wise 
men, like the others, said that the scheme of Colum¬ 
bus was impossible; they did not even believe the 
earth to be round. If it were, they said, people 
on the other side would walk with their heads down¬ 
ward, snow and rain would there fall upward, and 
trees grow upside down. A second meeting of wise 
men said that Columbus’s ideas were foolish. Then, 
disappointed and discouraged, he set out for Paris, 
as the king of France had sent him an invitation to 
come to his court. On the way, the weary navigator 
stopped again at the convent. His friend the Father 
Superior could scarcely believe his eyes when he saw 
Columbus once more at his gate after all the years 


Years of 
waiting 


Sends to 
England 
for aid 


Asks help 
from Spain 


10 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


Columbus 
and the 
queen of 
Spain 


Columbus 
starts for 
France 


of waiting, as poor as ever, and no nearer the ful¬ 
fillment of his hopes. 

The priest promised to go himself to see the 
queen of Spain, who was now at the military camp 
at Granada. At her command, Columbus went to 
the royal camp. When asked his terms, he de¬ 
manded to be made an admiral, ruler of the lands 
he might discover, to receive one tenth of the revenue 
from them, and one eighth of the profits of his ex¬ 
pedition. At first the monarchs would not consent 
to his terms, and he sadly set out again for France. 
But after he had gone, they changed their minds and 
sent a swift courier to overtake him. Columbus was 
halted at the little bridge of Pinos, six miles from 
Grenada, and persuaded to return. 


WHAT TO KNOW 

Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. He learned to read and write, 
to make maps and sea charts. He also learned the trade of wool 
combing, lie lived near the sea and early in life became a sailor. 
He went on many voyages and heard wonderful stories of the coun¬ 
tries in the East. 

Certain cities of Europe were made rich by trade with the Indies. 
At the time of Columbus, the routes for this trade, by ship and cara¬ 
van, were blocked by the Turks. 

Portugal tried to find a new eastern route to China around the 
southern end of Africa. 

Columbus believed the earth to be round, and that if he sailed west¬ 
ward he would reach the rich cities of India in half the time re¬ 
quired for the voyage around Africa. 

Columbus tried to get help from Portugal, but failed. After 
he had made several attempts and had waited for years, Spain con¬ 
sented to help him in his plans. 


COLUMBUS 


11 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Where and when was Columbus born? Why was his 
nativ e city important ? 

2. What did Marco Polo say about China in his book ? 

3. Why did the old routes from Europe to India become 
dangerous ? 

4. Give several reasons why Columbus thought there was a 
westward route to India. What route did Portugal look for ? 

5. To whom did Columbus go for help in his plans for a 
voyage ? 

6. What did Columbus think about the shape of the earth ? 

What did the wise men of Portugal and Spain say about 
Columbus’s ideas ? 

7. How did Columbus at last get the Spanish sovereigns to 
listen to him ? 

8. What were the demands of Columbus ? 

LESSON II 

Preparations for the Voyage. — Columbus was 
brought before Ferdinand and Isabella, and they Spain 
now agreed to all his terms, especially as Columbus gives ships 
offered to pay one eighth of the cost of the expedi- andmone y 
tion. He was then made an admiral, and, armed 
with his commission, went to the port of Palos to 
prepare ships for the voyage. Two ships were easily 
obtained, but sailors did not want to go out on an 
ocean they did not know anything about, and many 
of them fled. Then friends of Columbus, Martin The Pin- 
and Vincent Pinzon, came forward and furnished a zons 
third ship. They offered their own services to se¬ 
cure men, and volunteered to command two of the 
caravels in person, Martin, moreover, gave Colum- 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


The ships 


Stop at 
Canary 
Islands 



12 

bus the money with which to pay his one eighth of 
the cost. 

First Voyage of Columbus. — On Friday, the 3d 
of August, 1492, Columbus bade farewell to his 
friend, the superior of the convent, and as the rela¬ 
tives of his men stood on the shore weeping and wav- 


The Embarkation of Columbus 

ing good-by, the two little caravels Nina and Pinta, 
and the carrack Santa Maria, slowly sailed out of the 
harbor of Palos — never to return, the people on shore 
believed. 

The little ships headed for the Canary Islands, 
where repairs were made and fresh supplies of wood, 
water, and food were obtained. 

King John had sent several ships to the Canaries 
to stop Columbus, but the Admiral succeeded in es- 







COLUMBUS 


13 


caping them, and soon he was leaving the last island 
in the distance. Some of his sailors cried at the 
thought of family, friends, and home, left behind, 
perhaps forever. 

Day after day the little fleet sailed westward, 


The Ships of Columbus 

without sighting any land. Columbus saw that the 

compass no longer pointed to the east of the north 

star, as in Europe, but slightly to the west of it. 

When the sailors noticed this, he calmed their fears _ ., 

. Trouble on 

as best he could. Ihe ships sailed into immense the voyage 
fields of seaweed, and the sailors were sure that their 




14 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


vessels would run aground, to lie there and rot, while 
they themselves starved to death. As they were 
in the belt of trade winds, the breeze was ever from 
behind, blowing them farther and farther from home. 
Martin Pinzon, who commanded the Pinta, and his 
brother Vincent, who commanded the Nina, joined 
the others in asking the Admiral to turn back, but 
he would not. Finally the sailors threatened Co¬ 
lumbus; they would throw him into the sea, they 
said. But he replied that the sovereigns of Spain 
had sent him and he would go on. Every little 
while some one would shout “ Land! ” only to find 
that what he had seen was a bank of clouds. For 
the one who should first sight land, the Admiral 
promised a velvet cloak, in addition to the prizes 
that the king and queen had offered, and all hands 
kept a sharp lookout. 

What a brave man Columbus was! Think of 
sailing across an unknown ocean without a true 
Courage of chart, and with only an hourglass to tell time by; 

Columbus w ithout an instrument to measure the distance cov¬ 
ered, and with only the foam at the vessel’s bow to 
show how fast it was sailing. Even the compass 
seemed to be wrong, but the faith and courage of 
Columbus were chart, clock, and compass enough to 
take him safely across the vast Atlantic. 

The Discovery of America. — During the middle 
of September, sea birds were seen. Later, land 
birds appeared, and a carved stick floated by. On 


COLUMBUS 


15 



the night of October 11 the moon was bright; 
Columbus was on watch. Suddenly he saw a light 
in the distance. It seemed to bob up and down. Land dis 
He called two companions, who also saw it. This covered 
happened at ten o’clock; at two o’clock in the 
morning a gun was fired on the Pinta. The look- 


The Landing on San Salvador 

out had sighted land, but Columbus was awarded 
the prizes because he had first seen lights on the 
shore. The men who had threatened the Admiral 
now kissed his hands, begged forgiveness, and 
promised not to disobey him again. 

In the morning a landing was made. Columbus 
had on a scarlet suit, embroidered with gold. In 




Columbus 
takes pos¬ 
session 


The 

Indians 


The land¬ 
fall of 
Columbus 


Discovery 
of Cuba 


16 SPANISH EXPLORERS 

his hand he bore the royal standard. Next came 
the Pinzons, also carrying banners. The whole party, 
having landed, kissed the earth and gave praise to 
God. Then Columbus drew his sword and took 
possession of the land in the name of the Spanish 
sovereigns. 

Meanwhile, the natives, with wonder and fear, 
watched the strangers who they thought had de- 

scended from 
heaven. First they 
ran away and hid 
in the forest, then 
growing bolder they 
came back, threw 
themselves down 
upon the ground, 
and worshiped the 
Admiral and his 
men. Columbus 
called these savages Indians, believing that he had 
reached the Indies. 

The first landing was on one of the Bahama Is¬ 
lands ; which one we are not sure, as Columbus did 
not mention its latitude or longitude. It is now 
generally believed, however, that it was the one 
now known as Watling Island. 

From here he sailed to Cuba, which he thought 
was China, and afterwards to Haiti, which he mis¬ 
took for Japan. While at Cuba Columbus saw the 



Lands Found by Columbus in Four 
Voyages (lands shown in black) 






COLUMBUS 


17 


Indians smoking tobacco, a plant that was unknown 
in Europe at that time. On the shore of Haiti, the 
Santa Maria was shipwrecked on the sands. A little 
while before this, Columbus had been deserted by 
Martin Pinzon with the Pinta. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Columbus fitted out three ships for the voyage, the Nina, the 
Pinta, and the Santa Maria. They set sail in August, 1492, and 
stopped at the Canary Islands for repairs. 

On the voyage, the ships ran into seaweed. The sailors were dis¬ 
couraged and afraid. The trade winds blew them away from home. 
The compass seemed wrong. Columbus alone was brave and 
hopeful. 

They sailed sixty-nine days and discovered land. On the morn¬ 
ing of October 12, Columbus landed on one of the Bahama Islands. 
He took possession of the land for Spain. He thought that he had 
reached the Indies, and he called the natives Indians. 

He sailed to Cuba and thought he had reached China. He landed 
on Haiti, which he believed was Japan. Here the Santa Maria 
was shipwrecked. He had already been deserted by the Pinta. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. How large a fleet did Columbus have, and when did he 
sail on his first voyage ? 

2. Give a short account of the voyage. 

3. Why was Columbus very brave to make this voyage ? 

4. What signs of land finally appeared ? 

5. Where did Columbus land ? How did the natives receive 
him ? For whom did he claim the land ? 

6. What lands did Columbus think he had reached ? 


LESSON III 

Columbus Returns to Spain. — In the early part 
of January, 1493, Columbus turned the little Nina 





18 


Reception of Columbus at Court 































































































































































COLUMBUS 


19 


toward Spain. She had a rough passage, and once, 
when the Admiral thought all was lost, he put a 
record of his voyage into a barrel which he threw 
overboard. 

But the Nina, at last, reached Portugal safely, 
sailing into the Tagus River in March. Columbus 
sent a messenger to the Spanish king and queen, 
telling them of his success. After being received 
and honored by the king of Portugal, he set out for 
Palos, where he arrived seven months and twelve 
days after his departure from that port. 

How different was the home-coming from the 
departure! Now there was joy in place of weeping. 
People ran through the streets, spreading the news; 
others hurried to the wharves to see the great navi¬ 
gator and his ship. At night, there were illumina¬ 
tions in celebration of his return. That evening, 
the Pinta sailed into the harbor of Palos, and when 
Martin Pinzon, its commander, saw the Nina in 
port he hid himself until Columbus had left the town, 
for he feared that the Admiral would accuse him of 
treachery. When the king and queen heard of 
Pinzon’s wicked desertion of Columbus, they sent 
him an angry letter, and shortly afterward he died 
of a broken heart, killed by shame and disap¬ 
pointment. 

Columbus, on the invitation of the monarchs, 
hastened to the court at Barcelona. Here he was 
brought into their presence by a great procession of 


Columbus 
in Por¬ 
tugal 


Columbus 
at Palos 


Columbus 
at court 


20 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


priests, soldiers ind nobles, amidst the blare of trum¬ 
pets and the shouts of an admiring throng. At the 
palace, he knelt before the king and queen and kissed 
Proof? of their hands. At their command, he told the story 
iis success j^ s VO y a g es an( f showed them the strange people — 
four Indian youths and two beautiful Indian girls —- 
whom he had brought from Cuba; he showed them 
the strange birds that he had brought along, also 
an alligator, arrows, and other curious things. When 
he had finished, the sovereigns believed that he had 
reached the countries of Asia by a new and shorter 
route. They fell down on their knees and gave 
thanks to God, while the city rang with shouts of joy. 

At a dinner given in honor of Columbus, a court¬ 
ier asked him whether some one else might not have 
discovered the new lands if he had not. In answer, 
Columbus passed around an egg, asking all present 
to stand it on its end. None were able to do this. 
Then he cracked one end and stood the egg up; 
every one could then do it. This was his answer, for 
it was plain that the voyage could be easily made, 
now that Columbus had shown the way. 

The Second Voyage. — Every port of Spain was 
at once eager to furnish ships for another expedi¬ 
tion, and many sailors, soldiers, and gentlemen were 
ready to make the voyage. So Columbus, when 
asked by the king and queen to do so, fitted out 
another expedition of seventeen ships and fifteen 
hundred men. This time they sailed from Cadiz, 


COLUMBUS 


21 


in September, 1493. They landed at Haiti, where 
some gold was found. Here Columbus tried to build 
up a rich colony. On this voyage he did not find the 
great cities he sought, nor the Grand Khan of China, 
but only some islands of the Caribbean Sea, includ¬ 
ing Jamaica. He returned to Spain in 1496, greatly 
disappointed, but 
still sure that he 
had seen Asia. 

Third Voyage — 

In May, 1498, Co¬ 
lumbus again sailed 
from Spain to the 
New World. On 
this voyage he found 
the island of Trini¬ 
dad and coasted 
along the shore of 
South America as 
far as the mouth of 
the Orinoco River. 

There he became 
very ill, and turned 
back to Haiti, where jealous enemies put him 
in chains and sent him to Spain. On his way, 
his guard and the captain of the vessel wanted 
to remove the chains, but Columbus refused to 
allow this, saying they would come off only at 
the command of the Spanish sovereigns. He kept 



Columbus in Chains 


Disap¬ 
pointment 
of Colum¬ 
bus 


Off South 
America 


Sent back 
in chains 




22 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


Seeks the 
Indian 
Ocean 


the chains and asked that they be buried with 
him when he died. 

Fourth and Last Voyage. — Queen Isabella im¬ 
mediately freed Columbus when he reached Spain. 
His enemies suffered the royal displeasure, and al¬ 
though he did not receive again the governorship of 
the islands he had discovered, he was sent on a fourth 
expedition with four ships and one hundred fifty men. 
With these he sailed, in 1502, to find a passage from 
the Caribbean Sea into the Indian Ocean, but his 
search was vain. Broken by sickness and disap¬ 
pointment, he returned to Spain in September, 1504. 

Death of Columbus. — Queen Isabella died shortly 
after his return, and King Ferdinand treated him 
coldly and ungratefully. Old and poor, Columbus 
died at Valladolid on May 20, 1506. To the day 
of his death the great navigator believed that he had 
reached some part of Asia, and never imagined he 
had discovered a new continent. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

After a rough voyage, the Nina reached Spain in 1493. Columbus 
was welcomed by the people and honored at court. He brought 
the king and queen proofs of the discovery, and they believed that 
he had reached Asia by a new and shorter route. 

He made in all four voyages to the New World. On his second, 
he tried in vain to find the rich cities of China, but was sure he had 
reached Asia. On his third voyage, he reached South America. 
He was sent back to Spain in chains by enemies. On his fourth 
voyage, he tried to find a passage to the Indian Ocean, but failed. 
He died at Valladolid, Spain. He never knew he had discovered a 
new continent. 


AMERIGO VESPUCCI 


23 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. When did Columbus return to Spain from his first voyage ? 
How was he received at home ? 

2. What did the Spanish sovereigns think of his voyage ? 

3. Why were other voyages to the New World easier than the 
first ? 

4. How many more voyages did Columbus make ? 

5. Why was he disappointed over his second voyage ? 

6. Where did he go on his third voyage ? Describe his return. 

7. What wrong idea did Columbus always have of the lands 
he had visited ? 


LESSON IV 

AMERIGO VESPUCCI. — You may wonder why 
this continent was not named after Columbus, the 
man who discovered it, but was called America in¬ 
stead. It is named after Amerigo Vespucci, an 
Italian who, first in the Spanish service, and then 
in the Portuguese service, took part in a number of 
voyages to the New* World about the time when 
Columbus was making his last visits. 

On his third and fourth voyages (1501-1503), 
Vespucci sailed along the coast of Brazil in South 
America. Afterward, in a letter to a friend in Italy, 
he called the lands he had visited the New World, 
and said : “ I have found a continent in that southern 
part, more populous and more full of animals than our 
Europe, or Asia, or Africa, and even more temperate 
and pleasant than any other region known to us.” 
This letter, and one which Vespucci wrote to another 


His voy¬ 
ages 
to South 
America 


24 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


Why the 
name 
America 



Vespucci on the Coast of South America 

friend a little later, were published and read by many 
learned men of that time. 

A professor in a German college happened to 
see one of these accounts. He believed that 
Vespucci had discovered a new continent and not 
merely a new route to Asia, as men thought Columbus 
had done. Several years later, when this professor 
published a book on geography, he said, “ And as 
now these parts [Europe, Asia, and Africa] have 
been more widely surveyed and another fourth 
part has been found by Americus Vespucius, I 
cannot see why any one can justly forbid the 
calling this part Amerige, or America, that is, the 
land of Americus, an intelligent man, as Europe 
and Asia have taken their names from women.” 









PONCE DE LEON 


25 


The name was at first given only to South America; 
but it was later given to North America also, 
when that continent was found to be not merely 
part of Asia. So Columbus lost the honor of hav¬ 
ing the New World named after him, as it should 
have been. 

PONCE DE LEON: Early Life. — Ferdinand and 
Isabella, the Spanish monarchs who had helped Co¬ 
lumbus, for many years waged war against the Moors, 
a Mohammedan people, living in the south of Spain. 

The Moors were finally conquered in the year 
1492. Among the young Spaniards who fought in Spain 
bravely in these wars was one named Ponce de Leon. 

His roving spirit led him to look for new adventures, 
and when Columbus sailed on his second voyage to 
the New World, De Leon went with him. There in the Ne\* 
was fighting enough for him to do in Hispaniola,— World 
Little Spain, — as the island of Haiti was then called. 

So bravely did he fight that he was made overseer 
for the eastern part of the island. Here he could 
see Porto Rico in the distance. In 1510, he was 
made governor of that island, and he made himself 
rich by the labor of the natives whom he enslaved. 

The Fountain of Youth. — At last he lost his 
position, but he did not lose his strong desire to con¬ 
quer a kingdom for himself. The Indians had told Indian 
him of a land to the north, which they called ? f 
Bimini, where there was a wonderful river and a 
magic fountain. Whoever drank of that river and 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


The nam¬ 
ing of 
Florida 



bathed in that fountain renewed his youth. In 
that land, moreover, there was abundance of gold, 
silver, and precious stones. 
Discovery of Florida. — De 
Leon had begun to see 
that soon he would be 
old and feeble. Younger 
men than he would win 
the glory, fame, and 
riches that he wanted 
for himself. Ac¬ 
cordingly, he and 
his men em¬ 
barked on 
three ships, 
fitted out at 
his own ex¬ 
pense, and 
sailed north¬ 
west for some 
days. They 
passed among 
the Bahama 
Islands, and 
on Easter Sunday, in 1513, reached a land which 
the Spaniards called Florida, because the Spanish 
name for Easter is Pascua Florida (Flowery Easter), 
and because the forests there were bedecked with 
blossoms. 


Ponce de Leon Searches for the Fountain 



PONCE DE LEON 


27 


De Leon and his men landed a little north of where 
St. Augustine now stands, and took possession of 
the land for Spain. They explored the coast to 
the south, and sailed around the southern end of 
Florida. 

The party then returned to Porto Rico, where De 
Leon soon received, as his reward from the king of 
Spain, the governorship of Florida. This proved 
but an empty title; he had found neither the foun¬ 
tain of youth, nor riches. 

Second Visit to Florida. — In 1521, with a com¬ 
pany of men in two ships, Ponce de Leon went again 
to Florida. He meant to found a colony there, but 
the Indians fell upon his party furiously, killed many, De Leon ! 
and drove the rest to their boats. De Leon himself death 
was wounded by an arrow, and lived only long 
enough to get back to Cuba. 

Florida a Spanish Province. — De Leon was prob¬ 
ably not the first white man to reach Florida, as the 
unfriendliness of the natives showed, but his visit 
is the first that we are sure of. So to him belongs 
the honor of giving to Spain a province, which 
she held, with the exception of a short time, till 
1819, when it became the property of the United 
States. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian, made voyages for Spain and Portu¬ 
gal. He explored part of South America, and was the first to say 
that it is a separate continent. 

America was named for Amerigo Vespucci. 


28 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


A South 
American 
colony 


Ponce de Leon fought bravely against the Moors in Spain. He 
sailed to the New World with Columbus. 

He was made governor of Porto Rico and became rich there. 

The Indians told him of Bimini, a land where there was a fountain 
of youth. While looking for this fountain, he discovered Florida, 
which he named. He took possession of the land for Spain in 1513. 

He was made governor of Florida, and on a second trip there was 
wounded by Indians and died after reaching Cuba. 

Spain owned Florida about three hundred years. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. What belief did Amerigo Vespucci have in regard to South 
America ? How did America receive its name ? 

2. Who was Ponce de Leon ? 

3. How did he become rich in Porto Rico ? 

4. Why did he make a voyage in 1513 ? 

5. Where did he land, and what did he name the country ? 

6. For whom did he claim the country ? 


LESSON V 

BALBOA. — While De Leon was gaining a for¬ 
tune in Porto Rico, other Spaniards, led by Ojeda 
and La Cosa, were trying to plant a colony on the 
north coast of South America. When food was low, 
the colonists often stole it from the Indians. This 
was dangerous with the natives of any region, but 
especially with the South American Indians, who 
used poisoned arrows. When a man was wounded 
by one of these he usually died. Poor La Cosa lost 
his life by one of these arrows, and Ojeda, sailing 
away to other colonies for food, was shipwrecked. 
When their colony was about to perish, a man from 


BALBOA 


29 


Hispaniola, named Enciso, loaded a ship with men 
and supplies, and sailed to its aid. 

One day, so the story goes, as Enciso was walking on 
deck, he saw a head pop out of a cask, or as some say, 
out of a rolled-up sail; after the head came the rest 
of the man. When the astonished Enciso 
saw this stowaway, whose name was 
Balboa, he wanted to put him off the 
ship on a desert island. Balboa 
was a young Spaniard who had 
run away from Hispaniola because 
he owed money and could not pay 
it. Things went hard with 
debtors in those 
days, and they 
were often 
thrown into jail 
for their debts. 
But Balboa did 
not want to be 
a castaway any 
more than he 
wanted to go to prison, and so he fell on his 
knees and begged Enciso to let him stay on board. 
After much pleading, the captain finally permitted 
Balboa to work his way on the ship, a kindness for 
which he afterwards had reason to be sorry. 

The Colony Moved to Panama. — When they 
reached the colony, Balboa persuaded Enciso to 



Balboa Comes from his Hiding Place 


Balboa a 
stowaway 



30 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


Balboa 

seizes 

control 


Balboa 
rules well 


The In¬ 
dian’s 
story 


Balboa’s 

expedition 


move it farther westward, where there was less danger 
from unfriendly Indians. They moved to a place 
called Darien, on the Isthmus of Panama. This 
took them outside the boundaries of the lands granted 
to Enciso, and Balboa immediately refused to obey 
his commands. Indeed, Balboa sent Enciso back 
to Spain, bidding him tell his troubles to the 
Spanish king. 

Balboa wrote to the king of Spain that Darien 
needed a wide-awake governor like himself. Then, 
without waiting for orders from the king, he took 
command. He put down quarrels among his men 
with a strong hand, and treated the Indians well, with 
the result that he was able to get food and gold. 

Balboa’s Search for Gold. — One day, while some 
of Balboa’s men were quarreling among themselves 
about a little gold, an Indian youth looking on bade 
them stop. He said it was very foolish for them to 
argue about so small a matter, when, beyond the 
mountains which lay to the south, they could find 
gold so plentiful that the natives used it for making 
ordinary household articles. 

You can imagine that Balboa had great need of 
gold. His creditors in Hispaniola were yet unpaid, 
and he dared not go back there unless he satisfied 
them. Moreover, he longed for an adventure that 
would bring him honor, so the Indian boy’s story 
was pleasant to hear. Gathering a company of men 
numbering nearly two hundred, he set out boldly 


BALBOA 


31 


across the isthmus. The tropical jungle was dense, 
and its swamps breathed deadly fevers, but the 
Spaniards pressed on. Only once did they have a 
real battle with hostile Indians. • 

Discovery of the Pacific Ocean. — Finally coming 
to a mountain, Balboa left some of his men at an 



Balboa Discovers the Pacific 


Indian village and with the rest climbed the heights. 
His guide told him that from its peak a great sea 
could be seen. When near the top, Balboa left his 
companions, climbing the last few steps alone. 
In the bright clear morning light of September 25, 
1513, he shaded his eyes with his hand and beheld 
in the distance the great sea, of which the Indian 
guide had told him. He called it the South Sea, and 
claimed all the islands in it and the lands bordering 





32 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


on it for the king of Spain. Four days later he 
Balboa waded into the waters, and holding his sword in 

takes pos- one band an( j a banner in the other, again took 
session for ° 

Spain possession, for the Spanish monarch, of the islands 

and lands bordering on this sea, later called the 
Pacific Ocean. 

Look at a map and see what it means to take 

possession of all the islands of the Pacific Ocean and 

Size of all lands on its borders. Balboa did not know w T hat 

Balboa s p. mean + f or the Pacific Ocean was unknown in 
elann 

Europe until he discovered it, and was therefore not 
yet on the maps. Another explorer was soon to 
give to the world the first idea of its vastness. 

Further Search for Gold. — After exploring the 
coast for some distance, Balboa finally returned to 
Another Darien. The Indians were always ready to tell the 
Spaniards about cities abounding in gold, often just 
to get them to move away, and now Balboa heard 
one of these stories, to the effect that far to the 
south were cities full of treasure. 

Balboa was about to start out on an expedition 
down the Pacific coast, in search of these treasure 
cities, when his enemies suddenly seized him, and 
Death of charged him with treason. They said that he had 
Balboa been acting without authority, and after a one¬ 
sided trial condemned him to death. 

What Balboa Did. — Thus it was left to others to 
undertake the conquest of the west coast of South 
America. To name and to cross the Pacific Ocean 


MAGELLAN 


was the work of later explorers also; but to Balboa 
belongs the glory of being the first European to 
discover the waters of this, the largest of oceans. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Spaniards started a colony on the north coast of South America. 

Balboa was a stowaway on a ship carrying supplies for the colony. 
He begged the captain to take him along. 

The colony was moved westward, and Balboa took command. 
He ruled the colony well and made friends with the Indians. They 
told him of a land of gold, so he set out to find it. 

After many dangers, he crossed the Isthmus of Panama and dis¬ 
covered the Pacific Ocean in 1513. He took possession of the 
ocean and its bordering lands for Spain. He returned to Darien 
and prepared for a second expedition. Before he could start he 
was put to death by his enemies. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Why did Balboa leave Hispaniola? How did he get on 

Enciso’s ship ? n 

2. Where did Enciso take him ? Why did they go to Darien ? 

3. How did Balboa come to think of a journey across the 
Isthmus of Panama ? What discovery did he make ? When ? 

4. For what nation did Balboa claim lands ? What lands 
did he claim ? 


LESSON VI 

MAGELLAN. — While Columbus was sailing 
on his famous voyages, there was living in Portugal 
a boy named Ferdinand Magellan, who, strangely 
enough, was really to do what Columbus tried but 
failed to do; that is, to reach the Indies — south¬ 
eastern Asia — by a westward route. 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


Da Gama’s 
route to 
India 


Magel¬ 
lan’s plan 


Magel¬ 
lan’s ships 


In 1498, when Magellan was eighteen years old, 
one of his fellow-countrymen, the Portuguese Vasco 
da Gama, sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, on 
the southern coast of Africa, and reached India. A 
flourishing trade with the Indies was carried on 
over this route by the merchants of western Europe, 
and for a number of years Magellan sailed on ships 
engaged in this trade. 

But Magellan believed there was a shorter way 
to reach India. Like most of the navigators of the 
time, he believed that somewhere in the New World 
there was a passage that would lead through to the 
Indies. Like them, too, he believed that the Indies 
were not far beyond America. 

Voyage of Magellan Begun. — Magellan, like 
Columbus, found a friend in the Spanish king, from 
whom he obtained five old worn-out ships. So 
many ships were needed by the great number of 
navigators preparing for voyages of trade and ex¬ 
ploration that these were the best he could get. 
He set out late in September, 1519, with a crew 
of two hundred eighty men, most of them rascals. 
It is said that Magellan was privately warned that 
his sailors intended to kill him if he should displease 
them, but he was no coward and paid no heed to 
these threats. 

He headed across the Atlantic for the coast of 
South America, which he reached in November. 
Sailing southward he came to the Plata River in 


MAGELLAN 35 

January, 1520. Magellan was sure that he had now 
found the passage to the Indies. For several weeks 
his vessels followed the stream, and then, seeing that 
he came to nothing but fresh water, Magellan knew 
that he was on a large river. Keenly disappointed, 
he turned about and returned to the coast, which he 
again followed 
toward the 
south. 

The voyage 
had been very 
stormy, and the 
food was giving 
out. It is true 
that Magellan 
had brought 
along a large 
quantity of 
beads and trin¬ 
kets with which to buy food from the natives, but 
the Indians of that coast had little to offer. In the 
month of March the weather became very cold, for 
the southern hemisphere has winter when the north¬ 
ern has summer. The sailors saw nothing ahead of 
them but death by cold and starvation, and begged 
Magellan to turn around and sail homeward. This 
he would not do, but he put into a harbor named 
Port St. Julian, where he put down a mutiny and 
spent the winter. 



One of Magellan’s ships — the Victoria 


On the 
coast of 
South 
America 


Hunger 
and suf¬ 
fering 


36 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


Passage into the Pacific Ocean. — At the end of 

August there were signs of spring, and the little 
fleet set out again to follow the coast farther south; 
but the ocean was cruel, and, in one of the terrible 
One ship storms they met, one of the ships was lost. Finally, 
in October, another opening in the coast appeared, 
and, turning into this, Magellan continued westward 



Strait of Magellan 


The Strait through the passage which now bears his name. Be- 
of M *gel- tween two lines of lofty, bleak-looking mountains he 
sailed for five weeks, and then to his great joy came 
out upon a quiet expanse of waters, so calm compared 
with the Atlantic that he named it the Pacific Ocean. 

First Voyage across the Pacific. — One of his 
ships, under the command of Estevan Gomez, 
taking advantage of the windings of the strait, 





MAGELLAN 


37 


had sneaked back to Spain, and more trouble was 
still to come. Turning the ships northward and 
then northwestward, Magellan struck across the 
Pacific; days lengthened into weeks, and weeks 
into months, only to bring the same hopeless waste 
of water. The food supply ran so low that nothing 
was left to eat but pieces of leather which were 
used to keep the ship’s ropes and spars from wearing 
in places where they rubbed together. This leather 
the sailors dragged in the water to soak it, and then 
they cooked and ate it. 

Nineteen men died and twenty-five were almost 
dead when Magellan reached the island of Guam, 
which now belongs to the United States. Here 
food was found in plenty, and the famished sailors 
eagerly feasted themselves while the natives ran 
aboard the ships and stole whatever they could lay 
their hands on. 

Magellan’s Ship Circles the Globe. — Setting 
sail again, Magellan came, ten days later, to the 
Philippine Islands. Here he made friends with one 
of the native chiefs, but soon became engaged in 
war with another and lost his life in April, 1521. 
His men, unable to get possession of their com¬ 
mander’s body, sadly steered for the open sea. One 
of the three remaining ships sprang a leak after 
leaving the Philippines, and found a watery grave. 
Another was burned. The Victoria alone of Magel¬ 
lan’s fleet was left. Sebastian de Cano, who com- 


Famine 


The island 
of Guam 


The Phi¬ 
lippines 


Magel¬ 
lan’s death 


38 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 



manded it, sailed his vessel through the Spice Is¬ 
lands, where he shipped a cargo of cloves. Then he 
crossed the Indian Ocean, 
rounded the Cape of Good 
Hope, and arrived home 
One ship 1^22, just three years 

^home an ^ twent y- ei ght days from 
the beginning of the voy¬ 
age. 


its**' 

Magellan’s Last Battle 


What Magellan’s Voyage Proved. — Had Co¬ 
lumbus lived but twelve years longer, how trium- 








MAGELLAN 


89 


phantly he could have pointed to his arguments, at 
last proved correct. Now, indeed, men knew that The earth 
the earth is round, because a ship had actually sailed is a globe 
around it. It was also plain, however, that the 
lands found by Columbus must be a long distance 



away from Asia, probably altogether separate from 
it, and that they were most likely nearer the new 
continent of America, as South America was then 
called. Thus, besides giving the Pacific Ocean its 
name, Magellan’s fateful voyage had shown to the 
world two wonderful geographical facts. 


The Ameri¬ 
cas shown 
to be dis¬ 
tant from 
As,ia 


WHAT TO KNOW 

In 1498, Vasco da Gama reached India by an eastern water route 
around Africa. Magellan sailed over this route in ships engaged in 
the rich trade with the Indies. 

Magellan believed, as Columbus did, that a westward route was 
possible and would be shorter. He started out from Spain with 
five old ships. He first reached South America, where he stayed 
through the winter. He then sailed through the Strait of Magellan, 
which he discovered, and into the Pacific Ocean, which he named. 











40 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


After suffering many hardships, he crossed this ocean and landed 
first at Guam, and then at the Philippines, where he was killed in 
battle. 

One ship reached Spain, the first to sail around the world. Magel¬ 
lan proved that the earth was round, and that the Americas were 
far distant from Asia. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1 . How did Magellan come to know about the trade with 
India ? 

2 . What did he believe about the water route to India ? 

3 . Where did he get help for his voyage ? 

4 . When did he sail ? How long was the voyage ? 

5 . What strait did he discover ? 

6 . Where did he then sail ? What ocean did he name ? 

7 . Tell about the sailors’ sufferings on the voyage. 

8 . Where was Magellan killed ? 

9 . What two great things did he prove ? How did his voyage 
prove that the earth is round ? 


LESSON VH 

CORTES. — When Hernando Cortes first opened 
his eyes upon the world in 1485, in a small Spanish 
Early life village, Ferdinand and Isabella were at war with the 
Moors, who lived in the south of their dominions. 
Hernando, no doubt, heard of the brave deeds done 
in battle by the soldiers of his nation, but as a boy 
he could not hope to be like them, for he was a sickly 
child, who was kept alive only by the gentle care of 
his nurse. 

Naturally he had his way in nearly everything, 
and grew to be self-willed and stubborn, yet he 
Character wa s not lacking in courage and determination, as his 


CORTES 


41 


after life showed. When Cortes was fourteen years 
old, his father decided to make a lawyer of him, 
but the boy was unwilling to study, and after wasting 
two years at school came back home. 

Cortes Seeks Fortune in the New World. — 
Wonderful stories of fame and fortune to be won 
in the New World drew 
Cortes to Hispaniola. 

When he reached there, 
he was promised lands and 
slaves if he would settle 
down and work for five 
years. “ I want gold, not 
work,” he replied. But 
he decided to stay, and 
soon found adventure and 
fame in fighting the In¬ 
dians of the island, who 
had revolted. 

From Hispaniola, he 
went to Cuba, where in 
1518 he was appointed to 
a government position. 

While Cortes was in Cuba, several captains returned 
from an exploring expedition in a part of America 
called Yucatan. They said the Indians there had told 
them of a land where there was much gold. This 
land was Mexico, but the Spaniards knew nothing 
about Mexico, and they were sure that the Indians 



Education 


In His¬ 
paniola 


In Cuba 


A land of 
gold 



42 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


The land¬ 
ing at 
Vera Cruz 


meant the kingdom of the great Kublai Khan of 
China, about whom Marco Polo had written. An 
expedition was at once raised in Cuba with Cortes as 
leader. 

The Expedition to Mexico. — On November 18, 
1518, he set sail. With him were more than six 



hundred Spaniards in shining armor, and two 
hundred Indians. They were supplied with guns, 
swords, and cannon, and sixteen of them had horses. 
Early in 1519, the expedition landed near where the 
city of Vera Cruz now stands. Cortes had made a 
speech to his men, in which he had said, “ Be true to 










CORTES 


43 


me as I am to you, and I will load you with wealth 
such as you never dreamed of.” You can imagine 
that they were anxious to follow wherever Cortes 
might lead. 

Cortes built a fort with a large cross in the middle, 
and on Easter Sunday the chief of a neighboring 
village came to the camp. He gave Cortes presents 
of food, cotton cloth, and beautifully colored feather 
work. One of the presents was a basket of gold 
ornaments set with precious stones and pearls. 
In return, Cortes gave the chief a bright red cap 
and an armchair carved and inlaid. It is said that 
the chief admired a shining helmet on the head of a 
Spanish soldier and asked if he might have it to send 
to his master. “ Take it,” Cortes replied, “ and bring 
it back filled with gold dust, that we may show our 
monarch what kind of metal your land contains.” 

The Indians looked in wonder at the Spaniards’ 
horses, and were much frightened by their cannon. 
When the Mexican king, Montezuma, heard of all 
this, he was full of fear and thought the strangers 
might be gods and Cortes the sun god, who, their reli¬ 
gion taught, would come from the east. Montezuma 
sent the Spaniards many presents of gold, silver, and 
precious stones, and asked them to leave Mexico. 
He also sent back the helmet full of fine gold dust. 
This showed the Spaniards that Mexico had rich 
gold mines, and it cost Montezuma his life. 

Still, many of the Spaniards were unwilling to 


Presents 
from the 
Indians 


The Aztec 
king sends 
presents 


44 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


encounter further hardships and were anxious to go 
back to Cuba with the treasures they had already 
obtained. But Cortes would not listen to this. 
The thought of riches to come was urging him on¬ 
ward, and he would not turn back. His men grew 
threatening, but he acted quickly. Some he put in 



Spanish Cannon 


Cortes sink the ships they had come in, so that it would be 
sinks his impossible for the most faint-hearted to think of 


ships 


going back. 

March of the Spaniards toward the City of Mex¬ 
ico. —In August, 1519, he set out toward the city 
of Mexico; with him went four hundred fifty 
Spaniards with about half a dozen cannon, the horses 
they had brought with them, and a large force of 
Indians. After marching for four days, they came 
to the country of a powerful tribe of Indians with 




CORTES 


45 


whom the Spaniards fought two battles. In the 
first, Cortes was met by a band of a thousand warriors. 
He tried to be friendly with them, but they shot 
stones, darts, and arrows at him. “ Santiago and 
at them ! ” shouted Cortes; whereupon the enemy 
retreated, leading the Spaniards into an ambush. 
Beset on all sides by a force of many thousands of 
Indians, who fought fiercely with clubs, swords, and 
double-pointed spears, the Spanish cavalry charged 
and saved the day. During the battle, the Indians 
managed to capture one of the horses, which they 
killed. This loss was a hard blow to the Spaniards, 
for up to this time the Indians had feared the horses, 
believing they could not be killed. In the second 
battle, the Spaniards almost suffered a crushing 
defeat, but at the moment of possible victory the 
Indian leaders fell *to quarreling and lost the battle. 
They now became the allies of Cortes, and marched 
with him to attack the city of Mexico. 

Montezuma, hearing of these victories, again sent 
messengers to Cortes with rich presents and asked 
him to leave the country. But the Spaniards pressed 
onward, and soon Montezuma, seeing that they would 
not turn back, sent them several invitations to visit 
him. Cortes was amazed at the beauty of the cities 
that he saw on his way. They had grand temples, 
broad, straight streets, and strongly built houses, 
with gardens and groves of trees between them. One 
of these cities was adorned with four, hundred towers 


Two bat¬ 
tles with 
Indians 


Indians 

become 

allies 


The march 
to Mexico 


46 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


that rose high in the air. While in this city, Cortes 
found that the inhabitants were plotting against 
him. Falling upon them unexpectedly, he killed 
about six thousand of them. 


WHAT TO KNOW 

Cortes was a weak child, self-willed and stubborn, but he grew up 
brave and determined. He did not like to study, but instead looked 
for fame and fortune in the New World. 


He went to Haiti and then to Cuba, where he heard of a land of 
much gold. He thought this land must be China, and decided to 
find it. 


The expedition landed at Vera Cruz, Mexico, where Indians 
visited Cortes, gave him presents of food and gold, and asked him to 
leave the country. He sank his ships so that no one could go back. 
He then left Vera Cruz for the city of Mexico with a force of Spaniards 
and Indians. 

On his march, he fought and won several battles with hostile 
Indians, and passed through many beautiful cities. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Where was Cortes born ? Tell about his early life. 

2. What made him come to America ? 

3. How did he become interested in Mexico ? 

4. Of what was his expedition made up, and where did it 
land ? Why did he sink his ships ? 

5. Who did the Mexicans think he was ? 

6. How did Cortes win his battles with the Indians so easily ? 

7. Describe the Mexican cities. 






LESSON VHI 

Spaniards in the City of Mexico. — Steadily the 
Spaniards pressed on, till at last one bitter cold 
day in October, 1519, after toiling through a moun¬ 
tain pass in the face of wind and snow, they came 



CORTES 


47 


men of the 


to a bend in the road, and before them lay the 
valley of Mexico. Early in November, they reached 
Mexico city, the capital of the Aztec empire. Here 
they were met by a procession of a thousand great 
. city, who marched with bare feet 
and bowed heads in honor of their 
sovereign. Soon Montezuma 
appeared; Cortes advanced to 
meet him, and, taking off a neck¬ 
lace of glass beads, placed 
it around Montezuma’s 
neck. The Aztec mon¬ 
arch pleasantly invited 
Cortes into the city 
and then returned to 
his palace. 

The Spaniards were 
soon made comfortable 
in a large palace, where 
a few days later they 
set up an altar for worship. While busy with this 
work, they discovered a place where the wall had been 
freshly plastered. Cortes ordered this to be broken 
open, and to the astonished Spaniards there was 
disclosed a most wonderful treasure room, filled 
with gold bars, gold nuggets, and many things made 
of gold, silver, and precious stones. Cortes would 
not let any one touch these at the time, and closed 
up the hole again. 



Armor and Horse of Cortes 


Cortes 

meets 

Monte¬ 

zuma 


The 

treasure 

room 


48 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


Monte¬ 
zuma a 
prisoner 


More 
Spaniards 
join Cortes 


Monte¬ 

zuma’s 

death 


Not long after this an Aztec general attacked a 
small force of the Spaniards left at Vera Cruz, 
killing some of them. This was reported to Cortes, 
and he used it as an excuse for making a prisoner 
of Montezuma. In this way Cortes expected to 
make his own position safer. Imagine the surprise 
of the Aztec king when he found himself made 
prisoner by a handful of Spaniards in a city contain¬ 
ing about 200,000 of his own people. 

About this time the governor of Cuba became 
jealous of Cortes and sent an army into Mexico 
to arrest him. Cortes, with part of his men, left 
the Aztec capital and, taking by surprise the Span¬ 
iards sent against him, defeated them. They then 
joined his expedition. 

When Cortes returned to the city of Mexico, he 
found that the Spaniards and the Aztecs had come to 
blows. He took command of the Spanish forces. 
He saw that the Spaniards were in danger of being 
blotted out by the Aztec army which surrounded 
their palace, and he decided to force his way out of 
the city. Before the battle that followed, Cortes 
compelled Montezuma to make a speech, asking his 
people to stop fighting. While he was speaking, the 
Aztecs shouted 44 Coward! Chicken! ” and showered 
him with stones and arrows. One of these struck 
Montezuma before the Spaniards could shield him. 
Wounded and broken-hearted, he refused to eat 
or drink, and died three days later. 



49 


Cortes in Battle 




















50 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


Finally, late on the last night of June, 1520, the 
Spaniards and the Indian allies fought their way out 
The Span- of the city, losing more than half their number in 
iard treat killed and captured. After a dangerous retreat 
and a hard-fought battle, they reached a friendly 
town, where they rested. Here the Spanish army 
was increased to about a thousand by men from 
Hispaniola, and the Indian force to about fifty 
thousand. 



The Aztec King Begs for Death (a bronze tablet in Mexico) 


Capture of Mexico. — Cortes now returned to 
attack the city of Mexico, and in May, 1521, 
Siege of laid siege to it. In this siege he was aided by 
Mexico s Lips which he built on the lake surrounding the city. 
During the first week of June the Spaniards began 
the attack on the city, and after four months of fire 
and bloodshed, the once beautiful Mexican capital 
. fell into the hands of Cortes. 

The new Aztec king was taken captive. He had 
tried to escape in a canoe, but had been discovered 
and brought back. It was indeed a sad sight to 






51 


Mexico City in 1630 










































































































































































































































The last 
king of 
the Aztecs 


Death of 
Cortes 


52 SPANISH EXPLORERS 

see the proud king of the Aztecs led through the 
streets of his own royal city, pale and wan, looking 
neither to the right nor to the left, and walking 
with a firm and majestic step. When he came 
before Cortes, he touched the Spaniard’s dagger 
and begged to be killed, since he had lost every¬ 
thing. One hundred thousand of his subjects 
had perished in the siege. Some time later he 
was accused of plotting against the Spaniards 
and was condemned to be hanged. 

Last Days of Cortes. — The victorious Spaniards 
forced the Indians to rebuild and fortify the city, 
and soon all Mexico became a Spanish province, 
with Cortes as its governor. In 1528, he returned 
to Spain to answer charges made against him. He 
was well received at first, but on later visits his 
countrymen treated him coldly. He lost his honors, 
his wealth slipped away, and in 1547, while pre¬ 
paring to return to America, he fell sick and died. 
Spain held the country which he had given her until 
Mexico became a republic in 1824. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

In November, 1519, Cortes reached Mexico. The Spaniards 
were royally received and given every comfort. Cortes wanted 
the wealth of the city for himself. He made Montezuma prisoner, 
and so turned the Mexicans against their king that he died broken¬ 
hearted. 

Cortes fought his way out of Mexico. With the help of a large 
army of Spaniards and Indians, he returned and attacked the city. 
In 1521, after a long siege, he captured it. 


DE SOTO 


53 


He made the Indians rebuild the city, which he had laid in ruins. 
The country of Mexico became a Spanish colony, and Spain held 
it for three hundred years. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. What did Montezuma think of the Spaniards? 

2. Describe the meeting of Cortes and Montezuma. 

3. Why did Cortes make Montezuma prisoner ? 

4. Why did Cortes leave the city of Mexico ? 

5. Tell about the capture of the city. 

6. What can you say of the later life of Cortes ? 

7 . How long did Spain hold Mexico ? 


LESSON IX 

DE SOTO. — Hernando de Soto was born in Early life 
Spain about the year 1500. As a boy he excelled 
in athletic sports and in the study of his native 
language. At an early age he went to Panama. De Soto in 
From there, some years later, he sailed with other Panama 
soldiers to join Pizarro’s expedition in Peru. 

He stayed in Peru long enough to see the leaders De Soto in 
of the expedition begin to quarrel. Then he set out Peru 
for home, carrying with him a goodly share of gold. 

In Spain De Soto was splendidly received. While De Soto in 
there he married the daughter of a nobleman with Spain 
whom, when a poor lad, he had come to Panama. 

The king urged him to ask any favor he wanted, so 
De Soto begged permission to conquer Florida at 
his own expense. He was made not only absolute 
lord over Florida, but also governor of Cuba. 


54 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


The men 
of the 
expedition 


In Cuba 


The land¬ 
ing in 
Florida 


Outfit of 
the ex¬ 
pedition 


Expedition to Florida. — When it became known 
that De Soto wanted men for an expedition, they 
came in great numbers. Many were noblemen who 
had sold their lands to be able to buy arms and 
armor, for they were very anxious to go with De 
Soto; surely, they thought, he would not risk his 
own fortune unless he was certain there was more 
gold to come. It was a gay company that gathered 
round him, some dressed in silk and many clad in 
shining armor. From these, De Soto chose six 
hundred of the healthiest; twenty officers com¬ 
manded them, and twenty-four priests went along 
to perform religious services. 

In April, 1538, this gallant company sailed -out 
of the little port of San Lucar, Spain, as joyously 
as though going for a pleasure sail. On arriving 
in Cuba, De Soto was received with feasting and 
merrymaking. In May, 1539, he left his wife to 
govern Cuba and sailed for Florida, which he reached 
in about two weeks, at the place now called Tampa 
Bay, on the western coast. Here he landed his men 
and supplies and sent his ships back to Cuba 

The expedition was provided with everything 
that could be thought of to make it successful. 
There were two hundred horses; there were chains 
to put on the slaves to be captured; there were 
bloodhounds to help fight the Indians and to find 
them when they ran away; there was even a drove 
of hogs to provide the company with fresh pork. 


DE SOTO 


55 


But in spite of all this, and of the fact, too, that 
there were more men than in the expedition against 



Embarkation of De Soto 


either Mexico or Peru, disappointment and disaster 
stared them in the face from the beginning. 






56 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


The 

Spanish 

captive 


An In¬ 
dian story 
of gold 


The Search for Gold. — Greed for gold made them 
desperate, and day after day they plunged deeper 
and deeper into the trackless wilderness, following 
any direction which their Indian guides said would 
lead to rich cities. They found nothing but In¬ 
dian enemies, 
however, with 
the exception of 
a Spaniard who 
had been cap¬ 
tured by the 
Indians while 
exploring Flor¬ 
ida with an ear¬ 
lier expedition. 
The Spaniards 
were about to 
shoot him, mis¬ 
taking him for 
an Indian, when 
he saved his life 
by suddenly 
shouting “ Se¬ 
villa,” one of the few Spanish words he had re¬ 
membered. 

This man could tell of no land where there was 
gold or silver, but an Indian guide promised to lead 
them to a place where a woman was governor, and 
where gold was so well known that it was melted 



De Soto on the March 




DE SOTO 


57 


and refined. He told the story well, and the Span¬ 
iards believed it, but they found it was a false tale. 
When an Indian led them astray it meant death to 
him, but the red men did not care. They hated 
the Spaniards, and purposely led them out of their 
way, often into swamps. 

Cruel Treatment of the Indians. — After a few 
months of tramping about, some of the Spaniards 
wanted to go back to Spain, but De Soto would not 
listen, and they had to keep on. At one place, four 
Indians were captured and were asked about gold and 
silver. One of them replied that he knew of no 
place where there was gold. Immediately he was 
condemned to die for telling an untruth, and the 
other three Indians then invented more tales about 
rich countries. 

At each Indian village, the Spaniards made a 
practice of forcing the inhabitants to give them food. 
Then they would make the chief a prisoner and force 
him to lead them to the next town. Other Indians 
would be made slaves, to carry the baggage. The 
story is told that at one town along the way, called 
“ Evil Peace,” the Indian slaves fell upon the Span¬ 
iards and one struck De Soto senseless, knocking 
out some of his teeth. Often these slaves would 
kill their keepers and run off, even though they were 
bound hand and foot with chains. The Spaniards 
usually gave chase with bloodhounds and brought 
the captives back. 


Why the 
Indians 
spoke 
falsely 


Indian 

slaves 

give 

trouble 


58 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


De Soto at 
Mauvila 


WHAT TO KNOW 

De Soto was a healthy boy of good family and education. 

When a young man he went to the Isthmus of Panama and looked 
in vain for a passage connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. 
He went with Pizarro to Peru, where he became rich. 

He returned to Spain, where he married. The king of Spain 
made him governor of Cuba and of Florida. 

Many Spaniards joined De Soto’s expedition to America. They 
came to Cuba, and, provided with all they needed, sailed for Florida 
in search of gold. 

They followed paths that the Indian guides said led to gold. 
They treated the Indians very cruelly, and therefore the red men 
hated them and often led them astray. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Give a short account of De Soto’s early life. 

2 . How did he become rich ? 

3. Why did men want to join him on his voyage to America ? 

4. How was his expedition to Florida fitted out ? 

5. What disappointments did De Soto meet at the begin¬ 
ning ? 

6. Where did the Indian guides lead him ? 

7. How did he treat the Indians of each village he came to ? 


LESSON X 

Battles with Indians. — Late in 1540, after wan¬ 
dering northward to the upper Savannah River, and 
then southwest, the Spaniards came to a village 
called Mauvila, near where the city of Mobile now 
stands, on Mobile Bay. De Soto and some of his 
men with the baggage went into the town. The 
Indian guide asked for his freedom, and when this 
was refused, ran into a hut. 


DE SOTO 


59 


Soon the Spaniards saw that the place was full of 
hostile Indians. De Soto and his men rushed for 
safety. Several times he fell, struck by Indian 
arrows. Gathering his men about him, he attacked 
the town and set it afire, killing several thousand 
Indians. About forty of his own men were killed 
and a number wounded. Most of the baggage was 
lost. The Indians had laid a plot to wipe out the 
Spanish force, but 
bows and arrows and 
clubs were no match 
for Spanish horsemen 
armed with swords, 
nor for the flames, in 
which large numbers 
perished. Another 
battle and fire in 
northern Mississippi 
cost De Soto eleven 
men, fifty horses, almost all of the hogs, and the 
rest of their extra clothing and arms. 

Discovery of the Mississippi. — In April, 1541, 
the Spaniards reached the Mississippi. They were 
clad in skins and armed with swords and with lances 
which they had made. They found the river deep, 
muddy, and swift, and so wide that a man on the 
other side might be mistaken for the stump of a 
tree. They were the first white men to see its 
waters. Crossing it, they wandered northwest 



Battle at 
Mauvila 


Another 

battle 


The 

Mississippi 

River 






60 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


A terrible 
winter 


Death of 
De Soto 


Burial of 
De Soto 


into what is now Arkansas, and then turned back 
again. 

The winter of 1541 was very cold, and the explorers 
almost froze to death. Finally, in the spring of 

1542, they again 
reached the Missis¬ 
sippi. In all this 
long tramp, they had 
found only pathless 
forest. Here and 
there the Indians 
had a few pieces of 
copper, some buffalo 
robes, and Indian 
corn, but no gold or 
silver was to be seen. 
De Soto now fell into 
a fever; sick and dis¬ 
appointed, he died in 
May, 1542. 

His men were afraid 

to let the Indians 
De Soto Discovers the Mississippi , i 

know that he was 

dead, so they buried him in wet earth and let 

the horses trample the surface of the ground. 

But the Indians knew and pointed to the spot. 

Then the body was dug up, weighted with sand, 

and in the dead of night sunk in the Mississippi 

River. 





DE SOTO 


61 


After more hardships, the rest of the company 
built seven boats and sailed down the Mississippi, 
finally reaching a Spanish settlement in Mexico. 
Just three hundred eleven of the six hundred men 
were left. Suffering and misery the Spaniards had 
found in plenty, and never again did they search 
for gold and silver in Florida. De Soto had per¬ 
ished, but had made himself immortal as the dis¬ 
coverer of the great Mississippi River. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

De Soto and his men wandered to what is now northern Georgia, 
and then southwest to Mauvila, Alabama. Here they fought a 
terrible battle with Indians, but Spanish swords and horses prevailed 
over Indian clubs and arrows. However, they lost their baggage, 
and many horses and men. 

They traveled through northern Mississippi, and in 1541 dis¬ 
covered the Mississippi River, which they crossed. They then 
wandered northwest into Arkansas. They suffered greatly from 
cold and exposure. 

In the spring of 1542 , they tramped through pathless forests back 
to the Mississippi. De Soto died here of a fever, and was buried in 
the river. The rest of the expedition sailed down the Mississippi 
and reached a settlement in Mexico. 

The Spaniards did not find gold or silver, and so for a long time 
took no more interest in Florida. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Describe the battle at the Indian village of Mauvila. 

2. Tell the route the Spaniards followed from Florida. 

3. How long did De Soto wander in search of gold ? How 
much did he find ? 

4. What was the result of the march and battles on the ex¬ 
pedition ? 


End of the 
expedition 


Why De 
Soto is 
remem¬ 
bered 


SPANISH EXPLORERS 


5. Where was De Soto buried ? 

G. What became of his company when he died ? How many 
were left ? 

7. Why is De Soto famous ? 

LESSON XI. REVIEW 

Review the Spanish explorers, using the sum¬ 
maries and questions of lessons from I to X. Give 
attention onty to the important facts of each lesson. 

GENERAL QUESTIONS 

1. About what Spanish explorers have you studied ? 

2. What did each one do for Spain ? 

3. Where did Columbus go on each of his four voyages ? 

Write a composition about one of the Spanish 
explorers, following this outline: 

(а) His early life. 

(б) What he wished to do. 

(c) What lands he explored. 

(< d ) The result of his work. 

( e ) His death. 


CHAPTER II 


THE ENGLISH EXPLORERS 
LESSON XII 

THE CABOTS : Father and Son. — Genoa was 
the birthplace of John Cabot, as it was of Columbus. 
For some reason Cabot went to live in Venice, where 
he was so well thought of that he was given citizen¬ 
ship in 1476. Two years before this, his second son, 
Sebastian, had been born, a son who was to share his 
father’s fame as a sailor. 

Several years before Columbus sailed on his first 
voyage, John Cabot went to England to live. With 
his family he settled in Bristol, then the chief sea¬ 
port of England. There were many merchants of 
that town who were interested in voyages upon the 
sea, as men in our time are interested in the navi¬ 
gation of the air. They believed that there were 
two large islands west of Ireland called Brazil and 
Antilia, and several times, on the advice of Cabot, 
ships were sent out to find them, but in vain. 

John Cabot once visited Arabia, where he saw a 
caravan loaded with spices. These, he learned, had 
come from the Indies, over a long and dangerous 


Italy their 
birthplace 


They go 
to England 


64 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Cabot 
hears of 
Columbus 


John Cabot 
and Henry 
VII 


land route. Cabot perhaps thought that the coun¬ 
tries in eastern Asia might be reached more readily 
by ships sailing westward from Europe, and he 
dreamed of finding the way by sea, if possible. 

About this time, Columbus sent his brother Bar¬ 
tholomew to ask help of Henry VII for his voyage 
in search of a westward route to the Indies. It 
is possible that Cabot heard of the plan of Columbus 
from Bartholomew’s lips; it is certain that he was 
interested in it after Columbus’s first voyage. When 
he heard that the discoverer had sailed westward 
and found the Indies, he decided that by sailing 
west from England he could reach China. 

At the court of Henry VII there was disappoint¬ 
ment because Columbus had not sailed under the 
English flag, and it was not hard for John Cabot to 
interest the king in his plans. Early in March, 1496, 
Henry gave Cabot a license “ to sail to the east, 
west, or north, with five ships carrying the English 
flag, to seek and discover all the islands, countries, 
regions, or provinces of pagans in whatever part of 
the world.” Cabot was not allowed to sail south 
because Henry was afraid that if he did, England 
would get into trouble with Spain, whose ships were 
sailing in southern waters. In the license, five ships 
were mentioned, but Cabot could raise money for 
only one. In his one ship, called the Matthew, 
Cabot had a crew of only eighteen men and his son 
Sebastian. 


THE CABOTS 


65 


First Voyage of Cabot. — Early in May, 1497 , 
this little company sailed out of Bristol harbor. 



They were not so long as Columbus had been in 
finding land by sailing westward, but in little more 
than a month they came upon what they believed 


Mistakes 
North 
America 
for China 





66 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Takes pos¬ 
session for 
England 


Return to 
England 


Cabot 
honored 
and re¬ 
warded 


to be the coast of China. It was really a part of our 
continent, — either Labrador or other land near the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence. For many hundred miles 
they sailed along the North American coast, but 
did not see any people. 

Several times Cabot landed and took possession 
of the country for England. He could see that the 
land was inhabited, because he found trees with 
notches cut in them, traps for game, and needles 
used for making fish nets. The waters teemed 
with codfish, for which the Canadian coast has ever 
since been famous. 

When Cabot reached Bristol again in August, 
1497, people went wild with excitement over the 
news of his voyage. Many people believed that he 
had discovered the fabled island of Brazil; some, 
that he had found the fancied cities of the East, 
glittering with gold and jewels, of which stories were 
told, but which no one had ever seen; but the gen¬ 
eral belief was that Cabot had visited the land of 
the Great Khan of China. 

Crowds followed Cabot on the streets, saluting 
him as the great admiral, and the king of England 
gave him £10, that is, fifty dollars, as a reward, and 
a pension of a hundred dollars a year. Fifty dollars 
seems a small sum to give a man for such an im¬ 
portant and dangerous trip, but in those days this 
would buy as much as we could now get for about 
five hundred dollars. 


THE CABOTS 


67 


Cabot’s Second Voyage. — In 1498, John Cabot 
went on another voyage with his son Sebastian and 
five or six ships. They sailed along the coast of 
North America, from Nova Scotia about as far south 
as Chesapeake Bay. This time Indians were seen; 
they were dressed in the skins of wild animals, and 
seemed to know some of 
the uses of copper. The 
Cabots saw deer, larger 
than the stags of England, 
and bears that plunged into 
the water to catch fish. 

But they did not find the 
rich cities of Asia, as they 
had hoped; and therefore, 
at that time, their voyage 
was considered a failure. 

Later Life of Sebastian 
Cabot. — After the death 
of Henry VII, Sebastian 
Cabot went to Spain and 
became chief pilot to the Spanish king. Between 
the years 1526 and 1530, he made a voyage to the 
Plata River in South America, and when he came 
back to Spain some of his mutinous sailors had him 
thrown into jail. But the king took Cabot’s part 
and made him chief pilot again. In 1548, Sebastian 
went back to England and became president of a 
company of merchants whose object it was to find a 



Lands discovered by the 
Cabots 


What the 

Cabots 

found 


Voyage to 

South 

America 





68 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Voyage to 
waters 
north of 
Russia 


England's 
claim to 
North 
America 


passage to China around the cold shores of northern 
Europe. They succeeded in trading with the Russians 
on the White Sea, but did not find a passage through 
the frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean. 

In 1557, Sebastian Cabot died, having been a 
sailor for more than sixty 
years. England has had 
good reason to remember 
the Cabots, because they 
gave her a claim to the pos¬ 
session of North America. 
This claim, England said, 
was better than that of 
the Spanish, because the 
early Spanish voyages were 
made only to the islands now 
called West Indies. Co¬ 
lumbus did not reach the 
mainland of South Amer¬ 
ica until 1498, but the 
famous Venetian father and 
son had claimed the main¬ 
land of North America for 
England in 1497, about 
fourteen months before. Sebastian Cabot was one 
of the first navigators to believe that North Amer¬ 
ica was a new continent, unexplored, and to trace 
upon the maps of the time its coast line from 
Labrador to Florida. 



Cabot Memorial at Bristol, 
England 









DRAKE 


69 


WHAT TO KNOW 

John and Sebastian Cabot, father and son, were born in Italy. 
John Cabot took his family to England to live. 

When England heard that Columbus had found land by sailing 
westward, the king readily gave Cabot permission to make a voyage 
of discovery. 

On his first voyage, Cabot landed at Labrador, and thought he 
had reached China. He took possession of the coast for England. 

The Cabots made a second trip to America, and sailed along the 
coast from Nova Scotia to Chesapeake Bay. 

On a later voyage, Sebastian Cabot sailed to the Plata River in 
South America for Spain. He returned to England and tried to find 
a passage to China around northern Europe, but Arctic ice made 
him turn back. 

England laid claim to North America on the strength of the Cabots* 
voyages. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

I * 

1. In what country were the Cabots born ? 

2. What country did John Cabot later choose for a home ? 

3. What made John Cabot first think of finding a westward 
route to Asia ? 

4. Why did the English king help the Cabots ? 

5. What parts of America did the Cabots visit, and when ? 

6. What did England gain from their voyages ? 


LESSON XIII 

DRAKE : Boyhood. — We now come to a man 
who was a great admiral, a bold sea robber, and an 
explorer, all in one; whose life story is a chain of 
strange adventures. 

Francis Drake was born in Devonshire, England, 
in 1544, at a time when that country was torn with 
religious quarrels. Edmund Drake, father of Fran- 


70 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Drake’s cis, was a preacher, who, being persecuted for his 
father re pgj ous ideas, fled to an island near the town of 
Plymouth. Henry VIII, who was then king, died 
soon after, and Edward VI, the next king, appointed 
Edmund Drake “ Reader of prayers to the Royal 
Navy,” and allowed him to live on an old ship. 

You can imagine Francis, now a bright, curly- 
headed, blue-eyed boy of six, climbing the rigging 
Drake’s of his home on the water, and, lulled by the lapping 
early home G f wave s, dreamily watching the ships put out 
to sea. Perhaps he already longed to sail in one of 
them, for Francis and his brother expected to enter 
the navy when they were old enough; but this 
dream did not come true, for after a short reign the 
king died, and the Drakes were not in favor with 
Mary, who succeeded to the throne. 

Drake’s father lost his position, and the boy, 
being obliged to shift for himself, worked on a ves¬ 
sel sailing between England and Holland. Philip II 
He hears of Spain was deep in a war with the Dutch, and 
°*persecu- man y were the thrilling stories of Spanish persecu¬ 
tion tion which the English sailor lad heard from the 
Dutch seamen. He began to feel the spirit of revenge 
against the Spaniards that caused him to be a terror 
to them on the sea all the rest of his life. 

Drake Becomes a Sea Rover. — After several 
years, Drake became owner of the ship he worked 
on, his employer dying and leaving it to him. In 
1562, two merchants of Plymouth, John and William 


DRAKE 


71 


Hawkins, relatives of Drake, had begun a profitable 
trade in negro slaves, which they stole or bought in 
t Africa and sold in the West Indies. Drake entered 
their employ, and, in 1567, as pilot for John Haw¬ 
kins, sailed from Plymouth, with a fleet of six ships, 
on a long voyage to the Spanish Main, as the Span¬ 
ish possessions in Central and South America were 
called. Rough weather battered the ships at first, 
but they managed to reach the Guinea coast of 
Africa and take on a load of five hundred slaves. 
Crossing the Atlantic, the traders reached the Carib¬ 
bean Sea in March, 1568. 

Trade with the English was forbidden in the 
Spanish colonies, but Drake and Hawkins managed, 
by using force, to exchange their slaves for a rich 
cargo of gold, silver, pearls, sugar, and hides. Well 
pleased with their good fortune, they turned their 
prows homeward, but the ocean was not so kind to 
them, and two furious storms disabled the ships so 
that they had to put into the port of Vera Cruz, 
Mexico, to make repairs. 

Soon a Spanish fleet appeared. Its commander 
gave Hawkins friendly promises and was allowed to 
bring his ships into the harbor. All went well for 
a few days; then suddenly the Spanish fell upon 
the English, and although Drake and Hawkins fought 
furiously, they barely escaped with two ships. Most 
of the wealth they had gained by the voyage was lost, 
while with their men half starved they sailed back 


He enters 
the slave 
trade 


Drake at 
Vera Cruz 


The voy¬ 
age ends 
badly 


n 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 



home and entered Plymouth harbor much poorer 
then when they had left it. 

How Drake first Saw the Pacific Ocean. — Drake 
now made up 
his mind that 
the Spaniards 
should be pun¬ 
ished for the 
way they had 
treated him. 

He hastened to 
Elizabeth, who 
was then queen, 
and laid his 
troubles before 
her. She did 
not declare war, 
but she helped 
Drake in his 
plans to hum¬ 
ble the hated 
Drake Spaniard. For 
several years 
the English ad¬ 
venturer spent 
his time sailing 
to the West In¬ 
dies, to find out the weak points in the Spanish col¬ 
onies, where the best chances for plunder lay. In 1572, 


plans 

revenge 


Drake Sees the Pacific 






DRAKE 


73 


leaving his ships at the coast, Drake led his men 
part way across the Isthmus of Panama in the hope 
of capturing treasure. He did not succeed in getting 
any treasure on this expedition, but on the march 
he came in sight of the Pacific Ocean, and, struck 
with wonder, prayed to God “ to give him life and 
leave to sail once in an English ship on that sea,” — 
a prayer that was later to be answered. 

Drake then went back to his ships and spent some 
time in plundering many Spanish towns and two 
hundred Spanish vessels. Once, he and his men 
missed their ships, so they built a raft of logs, with 
a biscuit sack for a sail. Launching it on the angry 
waves of a wind-swept ocean, they spent six hours 
under a broiling sun, in water up to their waists, 
before they found their ships. Hardships like this 
did not seem to bother Drake, who, with ill-gotten 
wealth, sailed into Plymouth harbor one day in 
August, 1573. It was Sunday morning, but the 
good people of the town were so overjoyed to see 
the hardy adventurers that they forsook the churches 
for the wharves, to receive their returning country¬ 
men. 

The Voyage to the Pacific. — Drake kept in mind 
his view of the Pacific Ocean. He could not rest till 
he had sailed its waters. Four years he waited 
before he could get the queen’s consent. Finally, 
with her help, he fitted out five ships, with a crew of 
one hundred fifteen men and fourteen boys. In 


Explores 

the 

Isthmus of 
Panama 


Comes 
home with 
plunder 


74 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Drake 
starts in 
1577 


Reaches 
the Pacific 
Ocean 


December, 1577, Drake headed for South America. 
Stormy seas, fog, wind, and mutiny combined against 
him from the start. Not discouraged, however, he 
finally reached the Strait of Magellan with three of 
the five ships, in August, 1578. Two weeks later, 
Drake’s ship, the Golden Hind, sailed into the Pacific 
Ocean, the first English vessel to plow its waters. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Drake was born in Devonshire, England. He was a brave explorer 
and sailor. He hated the Spaniards because of their persecution 
of the Dutch, and because they had stolen a rich cargo which he had 
received in exchange for slaves in the Spanish West Indies. 

He returned to England and planned revenge on the Spaniards 
by plundering the Spanish colonies in the New World. He got 
much wealth by plundering Spanish towns and vessels. 

He returned to England, and after four years of waiting, started 
on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean with five ships. After many hard¬ 
ships he reached the Pacific by way of the Strait of Magellan. He 
was the first Englishman to sail into the Pacific Ocean. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. In what year was Francis Drake born ? In what country 
was he born ? 

2 . Tell why Drake loved the sea while a boy. 

3. How did Drake come to dislike the Spaniards ? 

4. What trade first brought Drake to the New World ? 

5. How did Drake get his first view of the Pacific Ocean ? 

6. What route did Drake take to the Pacific Ocean ? When ? 


LESSON XIV 

Drake's Exploits on the Pacific. — The Pacific 
Ocean was no kinder to Drake than the Atlantic 


DRAKE 


75 



Drake puts Spanish Treasure aboard the Golden Hind 

had been. One of his three ships went down, and 
the captain of the second sailed for home, leaving J^ s s £- ps 
the Golden Hind alone to face the dangers of a vast, 
unknown ocean. Drake had learned to stop at 
nothing. The greater the hardship, the higher his 
courage rose. Striking boldly up the west coast of 
South America, he fell in with a Spanish galleon, 



76 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Plunder 
of Spanish 
ships and 
towns 


New 

Albion 


Drake 
crosses the 
Pacific 


loaded with an enormous amount of gold and silver. 
After a short fight the English quickly moved the 
treasure from the galleon to the Golden Hind, which 
then sailed merrily away. 

Several Spanish towns along the coast had helped 
to swell Drake’s growing wealth with bars of silver, 
when he sailed into a harbor near Lima in Peru. 
Here he learned that a Spanish ship had left two 
weeks before with a cargo of gold and jewels. 
Crowding on all sail, Drake gave chase, and in 
nine days overhauled the Spaniard. After one 
broadside, the captain of the ship surrendered, and 
right there on the high sea, thirteen chests of gold 
coins, twenty-six tons of uncoined silver, eighty 
pounds of gold, and precious stones without number 
were put aboard the Golden Hind. The task took 
a whole week, and Drake had riches enough. 

Drake now sailed up the west coast of North 
America, where, in a small harbor not far from San 
Francisco Bay, he laid up the Golden Hind for re¬ 
pairs. He found the Indians friendly, and the 
country pleased him very much. He called it New 
Albion, because it had white sand banks and cliffs 
facing the sea, like England, — which is sometimes 
called Albion from a word that means white. 

First English Ship to Sail around the Earth.— 
In a month the Golden Hind was ready, and Drake 
headed her across the Pacific, following the path 
that Magellan had taken nearly sixty years before. 


DRAKE 


77 


All went well till after the ship had reached the Spice 
Islands in the East Indies. Then one day she ran 
aground on a reef, and there was danger that the 
men who had endured such hardship and collected 
so great treasure, would find at last a watery grave 
in those far distant seas. Eight cannon, and tons 
of cloves were thrown into the sea. Then, with a 
change in the wind, the Golden Hind floated clear 



of the reef. Drake now turned his prow straight End of the 
across the Indian Ocean, rounded the Cape of Good j°g* ge> 
Hope, and reached Plymouth in September, 1580. 

Drake Knighted.—When, a few days later, Eliz¬ 
abeth sent for him, Drake was careful to take along 
some of the plunder with which his vessel was loaded, 
for he knew that the queen would excuse the rob¬ 
beries by her subjects when they used gold and 
jewels for arguments in defense of themselves. So 
Drake soon found himself honored at court and pro¬ 
claimed a hero throughout all England. The queen 






ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


78 

attended a dinner aboard the Golden Hind, and there 
knighted him. She had most of the treasure re¬ 
moved to the Tower of London, but allowed Drake 
to keep a large amount for himself, and liberally 
rewarded his crew. 



The Queen Knights Drake 


Drake and the English Navy. — England was 
jealous of the wealth and power of Spain, gained 
from trade with the West Indies. Drake tried to 
make Elizabeth believe that to send out a powerful 
English fleet and destroy this trade was the surest 
way to humble her hated rival. Finally, after five 
years, she yielded, and in September, 1585, Drake 
sailed out of Plymouth with the largest fleet he had 
yet commanded. Reaching the West Indies, he 




DRAKE 


79 


captured a number of Spanish towns, and compelled 
some of them to buy their freedom with enormous 
ransoms. The Spanish were furious at the English 
attacks on their commerce. It was soon reported 
in England that the Spanish king was preparing 
a great fleet, or Armada, with which to invade and 
conquer England. 

When Elizabeth heard of these preparations, she 
made Drake an admiral and gave him command 
of a fleet of twenty-three ships to be used against 
the Spanish Armada. Drake sailed at once. In 
the face of a furious storm, he reached the coast of 
Spain, sailed right into the harbor of Cadiz, de¬ 
stroyed the forts and an immense number of ships, 
and found out the plans of the Spanish king for the 
invasion of England. Drake then sailed for home? 
capturing a large treasure ship on the way. 

The Great Spanish Armada. — Philip II, the 
king of Spain, now doubled his efforts to get ready 
his Armada. In May, 1588, the Spanish fleet 
sailed. One hundred thirty vessels, manned by eight 
thousand sailors and bearing twenty thousand sol¬ 
diers, bore down upon England to subdue that 
country to the power of Spain. Storms delayed the 
Spaniards, but on July 29, the Armada appeared 
off the English coast, sailing in the form of a cres¬ 
cent seven miles wide. 

The English vessels were smaller, swifter, and more 
easily handled than the big Spanish ships. In and 


Drake 

attacks 

Spanish 

trade 


Drake 
at Cadiz 



80 


Fighting the Spanish Armada 










DRAKE 


81 


out they darted, firing broadsides where they would 
do the most damage, and capturing two of the big 
Spanish galleons. This kind of fighting went on 
for some days, till both fleets anchored near Calais. 
The Spanish had suffered fearfully from all these 
attacks, and now the English filled some small 
vessels with materials that would burn easily, set 
them afire, and turned them loose among the Span¬ 
ish ships, at dead of night. At once all was con¬ 
fusion in the Spanish fleet. The great galleons 
tried to get away, and some of them ran aground. 

When day dawned, the English ships began a furi¬ 
ous attack, and in six hours twelve galleons were 
sunk or disabled. The rest of the Spanish fleet 
tried to escape by sailing around the north coast of 
England, but it was so badly shattered that only 
fifty-three of the ships ever reached Spain again. 
Drake had led the heaviest fighting, and his name be¬ 
came a household word in Europe, for seamanship 
and valor. If the Armada had been successful, the 
Spaniards would probably have controlled the 
colonization of North America, and this might have 
prevented the growth of the American nation. 

Drake’s Death. — Twice more, Drake sailed 
against the Spaniards. He visited again the places 
in the West Indies that he had plundered before. 
On his last voyage he arrived at Costa Rica in Cen¬ 
tral America. While his ship lay off that coast, he 
was stricken with a fever, and died, after a week’s 


English 
seaman¬ 
ship supe¬ 
rior to 
Spanish 


Importance 
of the 
victory 


82 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Why 

Drake 

famous 


illness, in January, 1596. He was buried at sea, in 
the waters that had witnessed so many of his daring 
adventures. 

The Spaniards no doubt were glad that he was 
dead, but they could not easily forget him. His 
fame has lived in English history not only because 
of his great deeds upon the sea, but because he was 
the first Englishman to sail the Pacific Ocean, the 
first Englishman to sail around the globe, and one 
of the first to show England that her true power lay 
in a great navy. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Drake captured two treasure ships off the coast of South America. 
He reached the coast of California, and called it New Albion. 

The Golden Hind sailed across the Pacific Ocean, crossed the 
Indian Ocean, rounded the southern end of Africa, and reached 
England in safety in 1580. 

Drake tried to destroy the wealth and power of Spain by plunder¬ 
ing Spanish colonies. Spain declared war on England. In the sea 
battles which followed, Drake led the heaviest fighting. The 
Spanish Armada was badly defeated. 

Drake died in Central America and was buried at sea. 

Drake was the first Englishman to sail around the globe. He 
helped to prevent Spain from controlling North America. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Tell about one capture that Drake made on the Pacific. 

2. Why did Drake call the coast of California New Albion ? 

3. What route did he take to England from California ? 

4. In what years did he sail around the globe ? 

5. How did Drake try to destroy Spanish trade ? 

6. How did he become more famous in 1588 ? 

7. How was North America saved from Spanish control ? 



RALEIGH 8$ 


LESSON XV 


RALEIGH: Early Life. — Devonshire, England, 
the birthplace of Drake, gave England many other 
famous men. 


One of the best 
known of these 
is Sir Walter 
Raleigh, the man 
who first made 
serious attempts 
to plant English 
colonies in Amer¬ 
ica. 

Walter Ra¬ 
leigh was born 
amid comfort¬ 
able surround¬ 
ings, about 1552. 

His father was 
a well-to-do 
country gentle¬ 
man who could The Call of the Sea 

afford to let 

Walter amuse himself with outdoor sports, when his 
eager mind was not getting exercise on the books he 
loved. Living on the coast, Raleigh early felt the 
call of the sea, especially as his half-brother, Sir 
Humphrey Gilbert, was a noted sailor. When sixteen 


Born in 
Devon¬ 
shire 


Boyhood 
and educa 
tion 




84 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Adven¬ 
tures in 
foreign 
lands 


Raleigh in 
Ireland 


Gilbert 

visits 

America 


years old, he entered Oxford College. He was a good 
student, but he did not stay long in college. He 
left Oxford to take up the study of law in London. 

It was usual in those days for young men to com¬ 
plete their education by seeking adventures in 
other lands. So it is not strange that Raleigh went 
to France, to join the Huguenots in their struggle 
against the Catholics. Later he went to Holland 
for the purpose of fighting with the Dutch against 
Spanish oppression. In 1579, he joined Sir Hum¬ 
phrey Gilbert on an expedition bound for the West 
Indies. Off the coast of France they were severely 
handled by the Spaniards, and they came home much 
less joyful than when they went away. The next 
year Raleigh served as captain in a war against the 
Irish, and was rewarded by the gift of an estate in 
the south of Ireland, where he spent much of his 
time in the company of his friend, the poet Edmund 
Spenser. 

Raleigh’s Plans for English Settlements in Amer¬ 
ica. — For a restless nature such as Raleigh’s, a quiet 
life could not last long. For years he had thought 
of planting English settlements in the New World 
to check the growth of Spanish colonial power. 
The chance he looked for came soon. Queen Eliza¬ 
beth had granted Gilbert permission to take pos¬ 
session for her of an enormous tract of land in North 
America. Sailing with four ships, in 1583, Gilbert 
reached Newfoundland. He then sailed along the 


RALEIGH 


85 


coast, looking for a good place to make a settle¬ 
ment. Two of the ships were lost and the other 
two turned their prows homeward. The sea was 
rough, and one night the lights of Gilbert’s ship 
disappeared. The brave captain and his crew were 
seen no more. The queen then gave Gilbert’s 
rights in North America to Raleigh, who set about 
the work of colonization in earnest. 

Raleigh was high in the queen’s favor at this time. 
If we can believe an old story, as Elizabeth was 
taking a walk one day, she came to a muddy spot 
and hesitated to cross. Instantly Raleigh threw 
down his gorgeous velvet cloak before her, and she 
went ahead dry-shod. The queen was much pleased 
by this gallant act, and afterward she rewarded 
Raleigh with many suits and with high office at 
court as well. Six feet tall, of fine presence, and 
dressed in brilliant velvets with lace frills, after the 
fashion of the day, Raleigh was a distinguished 
figure at court. 

Raleigh Sends out his First Expedition, 1584.— 

He became the queen’s favorite courtier, and this 
kept him from going to America himself; for she, 
whom he sometimes called “ the goddess of his 
life,” would not permit him to leave her court. 
Raleigh, however, did not give up his plan of coloniz¬ 
ing, but in May, 1584, sent out two ships for this 
purpose. Sailing by way of the Canary Islands and 
the West Indies, they reached Pamlico Sound, off 


Raleigh 

becomes 

courtier 


86 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Roanoke 

Island 

discovered 


First 
colony on 
Roanoke 
Island 


the coast of North Carolina, in July, and discovered 
Roanoke Island. The friendliness of the natives, 
the pleasantness of the climate, and the fertility of 
the soil, so pleased the members of the expedition 
that, after a stay of two months, they returned to 
England with glowing accounts of the country they 

had seen. Elizabeth, 
the Virgin Queen, was 
delighted to have the 
new land called Virginia 
in her honor, and made 
Raleigh a knight in 
token of her pleasure. 

Raleigh’s Second Ex¬ 
pedition, 1585. — The 
next year, Raleigh sent 
out a brave sailor named 
Sir Richard Grenville, 
with another fleet of 
seven vessels, bearing 
colonists for a permanent settlement in Virginia. 
With them was Ralph Lane, who was to govern the 
colony. When the ships reached Roanoke Island, 
Grenville landed Lane with a hundred men and then 
sailed back to England. The colonists planted a 
little, but they did not like to work, and they went 
here and there exploring and looking for food and 
for gold, which they did not find. The Indians, 
whom they had treated very badly, refused to give 



Roanoke Island 








RALEIGH 


87 


them food, and almost succeeded in murdering them 
instead. 

Fortunately for the colonists, Sir Francis Drake 
happened to stop at Roanoke, on his way home from 
one of his expeditions against the Spanish West 
Indies. The colonists did not want to stay in Vir¬ 
ginia any longer, so Drake allowed them to go with 
him. They took back to England, tobacco, potatoes, 
and Indian corn. Raleigh planted the potatoes on 
his Irish estates. The tobacco he smoked in a 
pipe, — a habit which fashionable society at once 
adopted, to the great profit of future settlers of 
Virginia. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Raleigh was born in Devonshire, England, of wealthy parents. 
He was fond of books and of outdoor sports. He went to fight in 
France and in Holland. 

He sailed to the West Indies. He fought against the Irish and 
was given an Irish estate. 

• Raleigh was a favorite with the queen, who would not let him 
leave her court. 

He wanted to colonize North America. 

He sent out two ships, which reached the coast of North Carolina, 
and discovered Roanoke Island. When they returned to England 
with the news, the newly discovered country was named Virginia. 

Raleigh sent out an expedition for a permanent settlement in 
Virginia. The colonists did not like to work. They looked for food 
and gold in vain. They had trouble with the Indians. Drake, 
passing by, took them back to England. With them he took tobacco, 
potatoes, and Indian corn. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. In what country was Raleigh born ? 

2. Tell about his life as a soldier. 


Drake 
takes the 
colonists 
home 


88 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


The second 
colony at 
Roanoke 


White re¬ 
turns for 
supplies 


White 

finds 

Roanoke 

deserted 


3. What early voyages did he make ? 

4. Tell the story of Raleigh’s gallantry to the queen. 

5. What name was given to the country which Raleigh chose 
for a colony, and why ? 

6. When and where did Raleigh send colonists for a per¬ 
manent settlement ? 

7. How did this colony end ? 

8. What three things did England gain from it ? 


LESSON XVI 

Raleigh Forms a Company. — Raleigh now formed 

a company of “ Associates ” for the settlement of 
Virginia. Some of these were men with money, 
who were to supply the funds for a new expedition, 
and others were settlers for the new colony. In 
May, 1587, three vessels sailed for Virginia with 
men, women, and children, one hundred fifty in 
all, commanded by John White. They settled at 
Roanoke. Before long they were obliged to send 
White home for supplies. Raleigh fitted out two 
supply ships, which set out for Virginia. They 
were attacked by pirates, in the Madeira Islands, 
and were compelled to return to England, leaving 
the poor colonists without help for three years. 

When White again reached Roanoke, in 1591, he 
found the houses in which he had left the colonists, 
but they themselves had disappeared. 

Before sailing away, he had made them promise 
that if they left Roanoke they would carve on a 
tree the name of the place to which they went. 


RALEIGH 


89 


White found the word Croatan on a tree; this 
was the name of an Indian village at the other 
end of Pamlico Sound. The captain of White’s 
ship, however, would not go to 
Croatan, as he was anxious to 
be off after Spanish prizes; so 
no search was made for the col¬ 
onists beyond Roanoke Island. 

It is thought that the Indians of 
Croatan took them in to keep 
them from starving. 

Five times afterwards, Raleigh 
sent out expeditions to look for 
his lost colonists, but he wasted 
his fortune, as no trace of them 
was ever found. Raleigh some¬ 
times came in for a share of 
plunder from the cap¬ 
ture of a Spanish treas¬ 
ure ship, which partly 
made up to him the 

loss of the million and 

, , ,, . i . Governor White at Roanoke Island 

a quarter dollars that 

he spent in these enterprises. In 1592, a vessel 
of which he was part owner captured a Spanish 
galleon, with a cargo worth two million dollars. 
About the same time he heard a Spanish story about 
a rich city, called El Dorado, said to be located near 
the Orinoco River in South America. 



Raleigh 
tries to 
find his 
colonists 




90 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


At the 
Orinoco 


The ex¬ 
pedition 
fails 



Raleigh’s Search for El Dorado. — Raleigh could 

not resist the temptation to go in search of riches, 
and in 1595 sailed himself, with one hundred men, 
to look for El Dorado. Arriving at the Orinoco, 
he embarked his men on ten small boats, and with 
these started up the river. For four hundred fifty 

miles they rowed 


Raleigh Sails in Search of El Dorado 


against the cur¬ 
rent, meeting 
dangers in 
plenty. The 
fierce sun beat 
down on them, 
and the heavy 
rains drenched 
them. Floating 
logs threatened 
their frail boats, 
and starvation 
stared them in 
the face. They 
found a beauti¬ 
ful country, with 
singing birds, 
rank tropical 
vegetation, and 
Dorado. Sadly 


dancing waterfalls — but no El 
disappointed, they at last turned about, floated 
down the river, and sailed back home. 






RALEIGH 


91 


Raleigh’s Later Life and Loss of Favor. — Raleigh 
found England excited over reports that Spain was 
preparing another Armada, and he at once joined 
expeditions against the Spaniards which brought him 
neither fame nor fortune. Fate was not so kind 
to Raleigh as she had been in earlier years; some of 
the queen’s advisers were against him, and he had 
many enemies. During the reign of Queen Eliza¬ 
beth, however, his influence at court continued 
strong. It was not until after the queen’s death, 
in 1603, that he lost the royal favor. 

The new king, James I, listened to a story that 
Raleigh was in a plot to put some one else on the 
throne. By royal command Raleigh was arrested, 
tried, and condemned to death. When the death 
warrant was given to the king, however, he would 
not sign it. Instead, he had Raleigh imprisoned in 
the Tower of London. While in prison, Raleigh 
busied himself in writing a 44 History of the World,” 
but prison life was hard for so active a man. After 
thirteen years he persuaded James to set him free 
so that he might make one more attempt to find 
El Dorado. 

Raleigh, now sixty-five years old, was fast failing 
in health. Everything went wrong from the start; 
the only crew he could get were scoundrels. He 
met bad weather, and on the voyage fell ill of a 
fever. Arriving at the mouth of the Orinoco, he 
attacked a Spanish town, called St. Thomas; he 


Eliza¬ 

beth’s 

death 


Raleigh’s 
life in the 
Tower 


Another 
search for 
El Dorado 


92 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


captured the town and burned it, but lost his oldest 
son, Walter, in the fight. Failure attended him on 
every hand, and he sailed back to Plymouth, a 
ruined man. 

Raleigh’s Last Hours. — Failing in an attempt to 
escape to France, Raleigh was taken to the Tower 
again, was sentenced to death on the old charge of 
treason, and in October, 1618, was beheaded. That 
Raleigh had nerves of iron is shown by his conduct 
on the scaffold. After making a speech, he calmly 
He dies said, “ I have a long journey to take and must bid 
bravely CO mpany farewell.” After this, he picked up 

the ax, and running his finger along its edge, re¬ 
marked, “ This is a sharp medicine, but it is a cure 
for all diseases.” 

Raleigh’s Claim to Fame.—Brave, gallant, and 
scholarly, Raleigh added to the literary and military 
glory of Elizabeth’s reign, but more than this, his 
farseeing mind pointed out to his fellow-countrymen 
their opportunities in the New World. He paved 
the road and led the way to the successful coloniza¬ 
tion of America by the English. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Raleigh formed a company of “ Associates,” who sent a second 
expedition under Governor White to settle Virginia. White went 
home for supplies. 

After three years of absence, White again reached Roanoke 
Island, but he found only the settlers’ houses and the word Croatan 
carved on a tree. The colonists had gone. 


HUDSON 


93 


Raleigh sent out ships five times to look for the lost colonists, 
but in vain. 

Raleigh heard of El Dorado, a rich city, and went to South America 
to look for it, but failed to find it. 

After Elizabeth died, Raleigh was accused of treason. James I 
put him in prison and later beheaded him. 

Raleigh paved the way for a successful English colony in America. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Who were the “ Associates” whom Raleigh interested in his 
second attempt to form a colony ? 

2. Who was the commander of the expedition, and when did 
it sail ? Where did the colonists land ? 

3. Why did White leave the colony, and when did he return ? 

4. Tell the story of Croatan. 

5. What efforts did Raleigh make to find the colonists ? 

6. What foolish voyage did Raleigh make when he was an old 
man ? 

7. What do England and America owe to Raleigh’s attempts 
to colonize America ? 


LESSON XVII 

HENRY HUDSON: Dutch Efforts to Find a 
Westward Passage. — Until the opening of the 
seventeenth century, England and France were the 
only serious rivals of Spain in America. But the 
Dutch were both sailors and merchants; their 
trade with the East Indies was large, and it is not 
strange that when they no longer had to fight 
Spain for their very lives, they joined in the 


Dutch 
trade with 
the East 
Indies 



The Half Moon 
94 






HUDSON 


95 


attempts to find a route for their trade shorter than 
the routes around the Cape of Good Hope and 
through the Strait of Magellan. 

In Holland, as well as in England, the search for a 
short passage to the Indies was carried on by navi¬ 
gators in the employ of large companies of wealthy 
merchants. One of the most celebrated of the men 
to take part in this search was the Englishman, Henry 
Hudson, whose principal voyages covered the short 
period of four years, from 1607 to 1611. 

Hudson’s Voyages for England. — His first famous 
voyage was for the English Muscovy Company. 
One of his ancestors, also named Henry Hudson, 
had helped Sebastian Cabot to form the company 
more than half a century before. For years its 
seamen had looked in vain for a short passage to the 
Indies, but the company did not lose hope because 
of its early failures. On a bright day in May, 1607, 
on the Hopewell, a little ship belonging to the com¬ 
pany, Henry Hudson, with a crew of eleven men, set 
sail from England toward the frozen north. Hop¬ 
ing to reach the Indies by a northwest passage, 
he sailed along the coast of Greenland and Spitz- 
bergen, but wind, fog, and ice made his brave efforts 
dangerous and fruitless. Once, indeed, his ship 
was almost crushed by the ice of the Arctic Sea. 
After a search lasting nearly three months, Hudson 
turned homeward with the disappointing knowledge 
that an extreme northwest passage to the Indies 


English 
and Dutch 
merchant 
companies 


Search for 
a northwesi 
passage 


/ 


96 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Search for 
a northeast 
passage 


was impossible because of the ice. The only good 
news he had for the Muscovy Company was that 
the bleak shore of Spitzbergen had an abundance 
of seals and whales, which would make “ this land 
profitable to those that'will venture it.” 



Hudson in Arctic Waters 


But, although no northwest passage had been 
found, the next year the Muscovy Company sent 
Hudson out again to look for a northeast passage to 
China and the Indies around the north of Europe. 
His second voyage was as unsuccessful as the first. 
He did not find the passage, and as the Arctic winter 
was approaching, he turned homeward, disappointed 
again, with nothing more pleasant to report than 








HUDSON 


97 


the large numbers of wild fowl, foxes, deer, and 
walrus that he had seen in the lands of the far north. 
He reported also having seen a mermaid, half woman 
and half fish, one of those strange creatures that live 
in fairy tales. What he really had seen was probably 
a seal, but we can forgive him the mistake, as the 
people of that time did not know so much about the 
earth’s animals as we do. 

Hudson had not found a passage to the Indies, but 
he had won fame as a brave and skillful sailor and 
explorer. The Muscovy Company had spent much 
money on his voyages and had received little in 
return, so they would not send him out again, and 
he was compelled to look elsewhere for work. He 
would no doubt have been glad to sail again under 
the English flag, but no one in England desired his 
services. 

Hudson and the Dutch East India Company. — 

In 1608 , the Dutch East India Company invited 
Hudson to come to Holland, for the purpose 
of talking over an expedition at their expense. 
Seeing an opportunity to go again upon the search 
that he could not believe hopeless, Hudson went 
to Amsterdam, where he met the great Dutch 
“ Lords of Trade.” They listened attentively to 
his arguments, and the greater number believed him 
when he said that there was an open polar sea north 
of Europe through which he could find a passage to 
the Indies. The Dutch merchants wanted more 


Hudson 

plans 

another 

search 


98 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Hudson’s 
bargain 
with the 
Dutch 


time in which to think over the matter. They 
agreed to pay the expenses of Hudson’s visit to 
Holland, and promised to send him on the proposed 
voyage in 1610, if they decided that his scheme was 
a good one. 

While he was waiting for their decision, his fame 
reached the court of Henry IV of France, who, 
though friendly to the Dutch, now saw a chance to 
form a French East India Company to be their 
rivals in trade. Somehow the Dutch merchants 
heard of the French king’s interest in Hudson, and, 
not to be outdone, immediately made a contract 
with the navigator to sail “ by the north around 
the north side of Nova Zembla,” in search of a north¬ 
east passage to the Indies. For this he was to re¬ 
ceive about three hundred dollars, and if he lost his 
life his widow was to get eighty dollars more. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Dutch merchants had a large and rich trade with the East Indies. 
They wanted to find a shorter route for this trade than either that 
around Africa or that around South America. 

Wealthy merchants in England and Holland formed companies 
who sent out men to look for a short passage to the East. 

The English Muscovy Company sent Hudson out in 1607. He 
reached Greenland, but found only seals, whales, and fish. He 
learned also that ice made a northwest passage to India impossible, 
and returned to England. He tried to find a northeast passage 
around Europe, but failed again because of the ice. 

Hudson gained so much fame that the Dutch East India Com¬ 
pany employed him to look for a northeast passage to the Indies for 
them. 


HUDSON 


99 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. What was the object of Henry Hudson's voyages ? 

2. Where did he go on his first two voyages for England ? 

3. What was the result of these voyages ? 

4. Who next sent him on a voyage, and when ? 

5. What did they send him to find ? 

LESSON XVIII 

Hudson’s Famous Voyage of 1609 . — Hudson was 
provided with a small ship of sixty tons, such as we 
should consider safe enough for sailing on a sound or 
bay, but much too small for the ocean. In this 
ship, called the Half-Moon, manned by a mixed 
crew of English and Dutch sailors, Hudson and his 
son, John, sailed from Amsterdam, in April, 1609. 
Heading northward, he rounded the North Cape 
when one month out, and steered for Nova Zembla. 
Ilis old enemies, fog, ice, and storm, now beset his 
little vessel, with the result that after two weeks in 
the Arctic sea his crew broke out in open mutiny, 
refusing to go any farther. 

Hudson, therefore, turned about, and, acting against 
his instructions, made for the coast of North Amer¬ 
ica. He could not bring himself to face the disgrace 
of going back to Amsterdam and admitting defeat, 
without even reaching the coast of Nova Zembla. 

In July, 1609, he reached the coast of Newfound¬ 
land, where he saw French fishermen taking the cod¬ 
fish for which those waters are famous. He gave 


Hudson 

sails 

northeast 


Sails for 

North 

America 


Reaches 

New¬ 

foundland 


100 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


his own crew opportunity for a day’s fishing, and they 
hauled in “ one hundred eighteen great coddes.” 

Sailing southwest, he reached a harbor on the 
coast of Maine. Here he was visited by friendly 
On the Indians, who brought fine furs, for which Hudson 

coast of traded articles of dress. The ship had lost her 
Maine 

foremast in a storm, and a new one was cut from the 
dense forest that everywhere covered the country. 

Soon the Half-Moon was under way again, and 
the voyage continued southward to Chesapeake 
Bay. Perhaps Hudson had thought of visiting his 
At Chesa- friend Captain John Smith in Virginia, but if so, 
peake Bay he changed his mind. He turned northward, visited 
Delaware Bay, and finally reached the waters out¬ 
side of New York Bay early in September. 

There is a story that Hudson’s first landing was 
made at Coney Island, after which he sailed through 
the Narrows and came to anchor in New York Bay. 
He found the place “ a very good land to fall in 
Enters with and a pleasant land to see.” The Indians, 
NCWl Bay some dressed in furs and others in feather mantles, 
came to see the white men, bringing corn, dried 
grapes, and tobacco. They seemed friendly, but the 
crew of the Half-Moon did not trust them. Their 
distrust seemed justified, when a small boat with five 
of Hudson’s crew was attacked and one of the sailors 
was killed, but it is said that the Indians who did 
this belonged to another tribe. Hudson also landed 
on Manhattan Island and attended a council of 


HUDSON 


101 


chiefs, who received him with great ceremony. He 
gained their friendship by presents of beads, axes, and 
hoes, together with some stockings, — which the red 
men used for tobacco pouches. 

Hudson Sails up the Hudson River. — Returning 
to the Half-Moon, for eleven days Hudson sailed 
up the river that now bears his name. Everywhere 
the scene filled him with wonder and admiration. 
Besides the beautiful bay and river, he saw the high 
wooded river bank covered with miles of forest, 
in which grew more than a dozen different kinds of 
trees. Some of these were oaks whose trunks were 
without knots for sixty feet from the ground. From 
the branches hung vines with clusters of grapes; 
on the steep hillsides grew berry bushes of many 
kinds, and trees loaded with ripening fruits or nuts. 
Hudson saw that even if he had failed to find a 
passage to the Indies, he had found a country whose 
discovery must bring him immortal fame. 

The Indians along the river were friendly, and 
traded with the crew of the Half-Moon, giving 
valuable furs for beads, knives, and hatchets. At 
one place the master of the Half-Moon was invited 
to visit the wigwam of an old Indian chief. Hudson 
went ashore, and was surprised at the amount of 
food the old chief had in his oak-bark house — 
“ great quantities of maize, or Indian corn, and 
beans,” and near the house lay “ enough to load 
three ships, besides what was growing in the fields.” 


Beauty 
of the 
country 


Trade with 
the In¬ 
dians 


102 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


Hudson at The chief served Hudson with food in red wooden 
anIn fea*t bowls. He sent men out to shoot game, and killed 
a fat dog with which to feast his guest. Hudson, 
however, returned to his ship after a short visit, 
much to the disappointment of the Indians, who. 



Hudson Landing from the Half-Moon 


supposing that he departed through fear of their 
arrows, broke them up and threw them into the fire. 

Robert Juet, second mate of the Half-Moon, 
writing about this part of the voyage, uses the word 
“ river 99 so often that we know Hudson was not de¬ 
ceived by the thought that he had discovered the 
passage to the Pacific Ocean for which he was look¬ 
ing. However, he determined to make sure, and 





HUDSON 


103 


sailed up the river till he reached the present site of 
Albany, where he learned that the water beyond was 
too shallow for navigation. Here he traded with the 
Indian chiefs for four days, after which, turning his 
ship about, he began his homeward voyage. 

The Homeward Voyage. — On the fourth of 
October, Hudson sailed out of New York Bay, and, 
a month later, entered the port of Dartmouth, Eng¬ 
land. From there, both Hudson and his men wrote 
to the Dutch East India Company at Amsterdam, 
asking that they be sent out the next year to look 
again for a northwest passage. The Company 
ordered Hudson to come to Holland, but the English 
government refused to permit this, and insisted that 
he sail under the English flag. 

Hudson’s Last Voyage. — In 1610 , a number of 
wealthy Englishmen fitted out a ship, called the 
Discoverer, and sent Hudson as its commander on 
his last search for the passage to the Indies. For 
some reason his crew was very poorly selected, 
several of its members being men of bad character, 
over whom Hudson had little control. He went 
first to Iceland, then to Greenland, then to Labrador; 
from here, he sailed through floating ice into the 
great bay since called Hudson Bay. 

The ship’s company suffered terribly from cold 
and hunger. One of them died, and most of the 
others fell sick. Mutineers among his crew blamed 
Hudson for their sufferings, accused him of harsh 


Sails as far 
as the site 
of Albany 


Returns to 
England 


Discovers 

Hudson 

Bay 


104 


ENGLISH EXPLORERS 


His death and unfair treatment, and finally, seizing him with 
eight companions, put them into a small boat and cast 
them adrift to perish. The rest of the crew then 

set sail for England, but only 
a few of them reached home, 
as the ringleaders were killed 
in a fight with savages before 
the vessel left Hudson Bay. 

Hudson had followed the 
search for the short route to 
the Indies till death ended his 
labors. His fame, however, 
will last as long as the noble 
river, which he was the first to 
explore and describe, flows to 
the sea. By his voyage of 1609, 
the Dutch obtained a claim to 
the Connecticut River south- 



Results of 
his work 


New Netherland 


all the land from 
west to the Delaware,' which they called New 
Netherland. Here they established trading posts 
and colonies. 

WHAT TO KNOW 


Hudson left Holland in 1609 on the Half-Moon. He sailed north¬ 
east, but fog, ice, and storm made him turn back. He then sailed 
west to North America and reached Newfoundland. 

He sailed south to Chesapeake Bay, then turned northward and 
entered New York Bay. He landed on Manhattan Island. 

He left Manhattan and sailed up the Hudson River to where Albany 
now is. He traded with the Indians, sailed down the river, and re¬ 
turned to England. He sent an account of his voyage to the Dutch 
company which had sent him out. 






HUDSON 


105 


In 1610, some Englishmen sent Hudson to find the Indies. He 
sailed to Iceland, Greenland, Labrador, and Hudson Bay, named 
after him. Here he was cast adrift to die. 

The Dutch claimed a share of North America because of his 
voyage in 1609. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. When did Hudson sail for the Dutch ? In what ship ? 

2. How far did Hudson sail up the river that bears his name ? 

3. Give a short story of the country which he saw. 

4. How was he received by the Indians along the river? 

5. What did the Dutch gain from Hudson’s voyage of 1609 ? 

6. Where did Hudson go in 1610? 



CHAPTER III 


Verrazano 
seeks a 
westward 
route 


THE FRENCH EXPLORERS 
LESSON XIX 



CARTIER: The Early French Voyages to America. 

— French fishermen were the first of their nation to 

take advantage of 
the discovery of 
America. They 
fished for cod on the 
Newfoundland coast 
as early as the year 
1500, but did not try 
to plant colonies. 
Francis I, king of 
Franee, like the other 
kings of western Eu¬ 
rope, believed there 
was a short western 
route to China, and 
sent out a sea rover 
named Verrazano, in 
1524, to look for it. Verrazano saw the coasts of 
Virginia, Delaware, and New Jersey, and even en¬ 
tered New York Bay. He did not find a passage 


Statue of Verrazano, New York 





CARTIER 


107 


to China, and his explorations were not followed up 
by the founding of colonies. 

Francis waited ten years and then picked out 
another sailor of fortune, named Jacques Cartier, to 
seek a passage to China, and to take possession for 
France of any new lands he might discover. Cartier 
was a native of the little town of St. Malo, in the 
French province of Brittany, and was now forty 
years of age. He gathered together a crew of sixty - 
one men, and one day in April, 1534, sailed out of 
St. Malo with two ships, bound for the waters be¬ 
yond Newfoundland. 

Cartier’s First Voyage. —When he arrived there, 
he sailed along the shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence 
for two months, and then landed at the mouth of 
the St. Lawrence River, which he believed might 
be the entrance to the western passage. Here he 
set up a cross and claimed the country for the king 
of France. He also captured two Indians, whom he 
took back home with him. Although Cartier had 
failed to discover a passage to the Indies, he had 
discovered the St. Lawrence River and given France 
a claim to the region he had explored. Later, he 
made a good map of the country he had visited. 

Second Voyage to Canada. — In September, 1534, 
Cartier returned to St. Malo, and in two months had 
a new commission from the king to sail for Canada. 
In May, 1535, he sailed out of the same harbor with 
three ships, and one hundred ten men, many of 


Cartier 


Discovery 
of the St. 
Lawrence, 
1534 


108 


FRENCH EXPLORERS 


them released prisoners from French prisons. On 
the way a storm scattered the ships, but they met 
again in the strait between Labrador and Newfound- 
The “ Bay land. Passing into the gulf beyond, Cartier entered 
Lawrence” a bay which he called the Bay of St. Lawrence, a 



name that has since spread to the entire gulf and 
the river that flows into it. 

On entering the mouth of the mighty St. Lawrence 
Explores River, Cartier thought he had found the northwest 
Lawrence P assa £ e Pacific Ocean, but he soon learned 

River his mistake. He was greatly disappointed, but went 







CARTIER 


109 


on up the river to the present site of Quebec. It 

was then September, and Cartier found a place on 

the river bank where he could spend the winter. 

Near by was the Indian village of Stadacona, whose 

chief bade the Frenchmen welcome. 

Cartier came very near having trouble with the 

Indians, who tried to keep him from going farther 

up the river, as they did not want other Indians to Cartier 

get the French fur trade. He would not be per- and the 
® ... Indians 

suaded, however, and went on up the river with 

fifty men in three boats. Early in October he 


The Indians Welcome Cartier 

reached a large Indian village. Here the people 
came down to the shore, and showed great joy at 
seeing the white men. 



110 


FRENCH EXPLORERS 


Cartier 

names 

Mount 

Royal 

(Montreal) 


A terrible 
winter 
(1635-36) 


The land 
laimed for 
France 


The Indians thought that their French visitors 
had the power of gods, and brought out their sick 
for them to touch and heal. Cartier held a religious 
service, which the wondering Indians thought was 
magic. Then to their great delight he gave them 
hatchets and knives, while his men made the air 
ring with the sound of trumpets. 

Cartier saw a high hill near by, and had his In¬ 
dian friends lead him to the top. Looking up and 
down the St. Lawrence from this height, he saw a 
wonderful view of mountain, wood, and stream. The 
sight so delighted him that he named the hill Mount 
Royal (in French, Mont Real), and to this day the 
city lying at its foot bears the name Montreal. 

Cartier, remembering that he must prepare for 
the coming winter, took to his boats again, floated 
down the river, and a week later arrived at his camp. 
The winter that followed was terribly cold, and a 
disease, which began among the Indians, spread to 
the French fort. Twenty-five of Cartier’s men 
died, and they might all have died had not the In¬ 
dians given them a medicine made from the bark of 
the white pine. 

Early in May, they set up a cross and put upon it 
the name of the French king, to show that the land 
was his. Cartier gave one of his ships to a near-by 
tribe, who had been friendly and who wanted it 
for the nails in the hull. Several days later, with 
the other two ships, he slowly floated down the 


CARTIER 


111 


St. Lawrence. The Indians followed in canoes; 
for Cartier had taken their chief. But when the 
French threw hatchets into the canoes in return for 
wampum and furs, the Indians went back to shore. 

Early in July Cartier sailed into St. Malo, and 
soon received orders from the king to write an ac¬ 
count of his explorations. He told about the fine 
furs to be obtained in Canada, but as for the gold, 
silver, or copper mines which the French king ex¬ 
pected to hear about, Cartier had nothing to say, 
and only one copper knife to show. This had 
been given to him by an Indian who could not tell 
exactly where the copper came from. 

Though Cartier’s report was disappointing, the 
French king made up his mind to fasten his claim 
on Canada by appointing a governor for it and send¬ 
ing him to found a colony there. A nobleman, 
named Roberval, was chosen to be governor. This 
was in January, 1540, but Roberval was not ready 
to sail even by October, so the king appointed Cartier 
commander of a fleet that was to go at once, without 
waiting for the governor. 

Cartier’s Third Voyage to Canada. — Cartier 
prepared five ships, and leaving two behind for 
Roberval, he sailed for the St. Lawrence with the 
other three late in May, 1541. In August, he 
reached his old camp at the Indian village of Stada- 
cona. After another visit to Mount Royal, he hur¬ 
ried back to his camp and spent the winter there. 


Cartier 
returns to 
France 


Roberval 

made 

governor of 
Canada 


112 


FRENCH EXPLORERS 


In the spring of 1542, he sailed for home, taking with 
him some little stones, which his men thought were 
diamonds, and also tiny pieces of metal, which they 
mistook for gold. 

A Fourth Voyage. — On the way home, south of 
Newfoundland, Cartier met Roberval, who had just 
come from France. The next morning Cartier 
with his fleet continued the voyage homeward. 
Once again the French king sent Cartier to Canada, 
this time to rescue Roberval and bring him home. 
Before this voyage, Cartier had received from the 
king a castle and lands near his native town of St. 
Cartier’s Malo, and here he spent his remaining days in quiet, 
death JJ e j n 1557. 

Cartier did not find wealth for his country, nor 
did he discover the long-looked-for northwest pas- 
What he sage to the Indies, but for more than two hundred 

did for y ears the French claimed Canada, chiefly because 
France and J . . 

America of his voyages and explorations. America remem¬ 
bers him as the first European to explore the St. 
Lawrence Gulf and River, which, with the noble city 
of Montreal, received from him their names. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

France sent out Verrazano in 1524 to find a short westward route 
to China. He explored the coast of North America from Virginia 
to New York Bay, but failed to find the passage. 

Ten years later, in 1534, France sent out Jacques Cartier to seek 
the passage. He reached the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, 
and claimed the country for France. 


CARTIER 


113 


On his second voyage, in 1535, he named the Bay of St. Lawrence 
and sailed up the St. Lawrence River to where Quebec now is. He 
visited another village, and climbed a hill which he named Mount 
Royal. He claimed the land for France. 

Cartier made two other voyages and revisited the places he had 
explored. He did not find riches or the northwest passage to China. 

Cartier was the discoverer of the Gulf and River St. Lawrence. 
France claimed Canada because of his voyages. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. What explorations did Verrazano make ? When ? 

2. Why did the king of France send out Jacques Cartier ? 

3. When did Cartier make his first voyage ? What land did 
he claim for France ? 

4. When did Cartier sail on his second voyage ? 

5. What waters did Cartier name ? What city did he name ? 

6. What did France gain from Cartier’s exploration ? 

LESSON XX 

CHAMPLAIN: Early Life. — In 1567, at the 
little coast town of Brouage, France, was born 
Samuel de Champlain. It was a time of great 
events in many countries of Europe. Elizabeth 
was on the throne of England, and Philip II was 
king of Spain. France itself was torn with religious 
quarrels. When Champlain was three years old, the 
town of Brouage became a center of war, and for 
nineteen years was captured and recaptured again 
and again. For this reason Champlain grew up 
with a good training as a soldier. This, however, 
was not the life he liked best. His father was a 
captain in the navy, and his uncle was a famous pilot; 


114 


FRENCH EXPLORERS 


Chooses 
a sailor’s 
life 


Visits 

Mexico 


it was, therefore, the life of the sea, most of all, that 
Champlain wanted to follow. He thought it was the 
most honorable life, because it was “ so full of dan¬ 
ger and wrecks,” While still a boy he became a 
good sailor, and when about eighteen years old, made 

a long journey in a 
small sailboat. 

In 1598, Champlain 
sailed with his uncle to 
Cadiz in Spain, where 
he received command 
of a ship bound for the 
West Indies. The ves¬ 
sel was one of a Span¬ 
ish fleet that touched 
at Hispaniola and 
stopped at Vera Cruz 
in Mexico. Champlain 
visited the city of 
Mexico, and on his 
way took notes of all 
the new animals and 
plants he saw. He 
saw how cruelly the Spaniards treated the Indians, 
and came to believe that if the French were to 
have successful colonies in America, they must treat 
the Indians much more justly. 

From Mexico, Champlain sailed to Panama. 
Here he saw the great need of a canal across the 



Statue of Champlain, Quebec 




CHAMPLAIN 


115 


Isthmus, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 
Soon after this he steered his vessel for Spain, and 
after a short stay in that country returned to France. 
He reached home in the early part of 1602, and at 
once wrote a report of his travels for the French 
king. 

The First Voyage to Canada. — Champlain had 
begun already to dream of serving his country 
by planting colonies in America, when he received 
an offer to sail with some colonists for New France, 
as Canada was then called. He and a man named 
Pontgrave were to go in advance of the others and 
choose a site for the colony. So they sailed from 
France, and one day in May, 1603, anchored in the 
St. Lawrence River. 

The next day, he and Pontgrave attended a 
council of Indians, at which, with speeches, feasting, 
and dancing, the French and Indians became fast 
friends. Then, in small boats, Champlain and his 
men sailed up the St. Lawrence as far as Mount 
Royal, but no trace could be found of the town that 
Cartier had visited there. Champlain had no more 
time to explore, so he returned to his ship and sailed 
back to France. 

Champlain, while on the St. Lawrence, had heard 
from the Indians of a great northern sea (Hudson 
Bay). He had heard also about a large lake south 
of Canada, about another lake connected with this, 
and a river farther south down which a boat could 


Returns to 
France 


First 

voyage 


Sails up 
the St. 
Lawrence 


What he 
learned 
from the 
Indians 


116 


FRENCH EXPLORERS 


A voyage 
to Nova 
Scotia 


Half the 
colonists 
die 


Settle¬ 
ment at 
Port Royal 


sail, even to Florida. These bodies of water he 
resolved to explore later. 

Champlain in Acadia. — In 1604, with a number 
of men to form a colony, Champlain again visited 
America. This time the voyagers sailed along the 
coast of Nova Scotia, and into the Bay of Fundy, 
where they made a landing at a place called Port 
Royal. Then they sailed along the coast till they 
reached the St. Croix River, at what is now the 
eastern boundary of Maine. Here, on a small 
island, they made a settlement, with houses, gar¬ 
dens, and a palisade, or row of posts, around it for 
protection. 

Sickness broke out, taking off thirty-five of the 
seventy-nine colonists. All the food froze, so that 
even cider was given out in the form of ice. Finally, 
a ship arrived from France with supplies. Some 
of the colonists sailed along the coast of Maine and 
Massachusetts, as far south as Cape Cod. Return¬ 
ing to their little settlement, the colonists packed 
all their possessions aboard another ship that had 
just come from France, and sailed to Port Royal. 

Here they made a camp where they could spend a 
second winter. Champlain now hoped to be able 
to make an expedition along the coast to Florida. 
The winter again brought death, this time to twelve 
of the little band. In the following summer all 
those who were left, except two, set sail for home, 
but their vessel was almost wrecked. It returned 


CHAMPLAIN 


117 


to Port Royal, however, to meet another supply 
ship from France, bringing new colonists. With 
several men Champlain then set out on another 
voyage down the coast, expecting to reach Florida, 
but because of contrary winds he failed again. 

On the return of this expedition to Port Royal, 
Champlain planned to keep things jolly at the 
settlement. It was agreed that every one of the Life at 
fifteen men of the party should take his turn at pro- PortR °y al 
viding food and entertainment for the rest. Two 
days before the arrival of his turn, each man was 
required to hunt and fish in preparation for the 
three meals of his day. Supper was the great feast. 

When everything was ready in the kitchen, the 
feasters got in line behind the host of the day. He 
led the way with a napkin on his shoulder, while 
the rest followed, each carrying his dish. When 
they had finished eating, the fun began. French¬ 
men and Indians sang and told stories, and one of 
the settlers, who was a poet, delighted the company 
with his poems. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Champlain grew up amidst war, and was first a soldier, but he 
loved the sea best and became a sailor. 

On a voyage lasting more than three years, he stopped at Mexico 
and at Panama, and returned to Spain and France in 1602. 

In 1603, he set sail with colonists for New France, as Canada was 
called. He wanted to plant a colony there. He made friends with 
the Indians. He sailed up the St. Lawrence and visited Mount 
Royal. He returned to Franoe the same year. 


118 


FRENCH EXPLORERS 


Port Royal 
given up 


Quebec 

founded 


In 1604, he sailed to America with colonists, and landed at Nova 
Scotia. They settled at Port Royal. Many colonists died of sick¬ 
ness and extreme cold. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. When and where was Champlain born ? 

2. To what places did his first voyage lead him ? 

3. When did he make his first voyage to Canada ? Why did 
he make it ? What places did he hear about ? 

4. To what part of Canada did he sail in 1604 ? What colony 
did he help to found there ? 

5 . What exploring trips did Champlain make ? Why did 
he not reach Florida ? 

6. How did Champlain provide food and entertainment for 
the settlers at Port Royal ? 

LESSON XXI 

Champlain in Canada.—After a time the Port 
Royal colonists heard that the men at home who 
had paid the expenses of the settlement, were not in 
favor with the king. So the colony was deserted, and 
Champlain and his companions returned to France in 
September, 1607. Champlain’s account of this col¬ 
ony, and his maps, led a nobleman named De Monts 
to send him out again. Setting out early in April, 
1608, he sailed up the St. Lawrence, and in July be¬ 
gan the building of the future city of Quebec. * Win¬ 
ter, Champlain’s old enemy, again attacked him, so 
that but eight men of the twenty-eight he had 
brought remained alive in the spring, when more 
men came from France. 

Champlain, impatient to explore, took twelve 


CHAMPLAIN 


119 


men and started out in July, 1609, with a war party 
of Algonquin Indians in canoes. Their purpose 
was to attack their enemies, the Iroquois. They 



Traveling with the Indians 

traveled southward toward the lake now called Lake 

Champlain, which they reached early in August. Champlain 
, . iii n i discovered 

Ten of the white men had been compelled to turn 





Cham¬ 
plain’s 
dream of a 
New 
France 


The 
“Father 
of Canada” 


122 FRENCH EXPLORERS 

this, Champlain nailed a sign with rules for the 
government of the town. 

All his life long Champlain tried to persuade 
French merchants and the French government to 
send colonists to Canada, to send soldiers to subdue 
the Iroquois, and to build up a glorious new France 
in America. But the merchants and the govern¬ 
ment failed to follow his advice, for they could see 
but little gain in return for the money they must 
spend. Champlain, after all his labors, could show, 
besides Quebec, only a few small settlements. His 
dream of a great New France had not come true. 
He had explored as far westward as Lake Huron, but 
the Indians had told him of other fresh water seas 
still farther west, which might lead to the Pacific 
Ocean. 

Champlain died on Christmas day, 1635, in his 
sixty-eighth year. His tireless explorations, his 
books, and the settlements he made in the country, 
have earned for him the proud title of the “Father 
of Canada.” 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Port Royal had to be given up for lack of money to support it. 

In 1608, Champlain was sent out again, this time by a rich noble¬ 
man, and founded Quebec. 

In 1609, on an exploring trip with a war party of Algonquin Indians 
he sailed down Lake Champlain, which was named in honor of him. 
They had a battle with the Iroquois, whom they defeated. Ever 
after the Iroquois were the enemies of the French. 

From 1610 to 1629, Champlain made many voyages to Canada. 


CHAMPLAIN 


123 


In 1629, Quebec was captured by the English and held for three 
years, when the French got it back. Champlain rebuilt the city. He 
explored the country and made maps of it. He wrote books about 
Canada. He has been called the “ Father of Canada.” 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. What city of Canada did Champlain found in 1608 ? 

2. What did Champlain discover in the summer of 1609? 

3. Why was it a mistake for Champlain to fight the Iroquois ? 

4. How long did the English hold Quebec? 

5. What did Champlain want France to do in America ? 

6. Why is he called the “Father of Canada” ? 

LESSON XXII 

Review the English and French explorers. 

Using the summaries and questions after the les¬ 
sons from XII to XXI, give attention to the im¬ 
portant facts only. 

GENERAL QUESTIONS 

1. Name three English explorers. Three French. 

2. Which one first gave England a claim to North America ? 

3. Why could both England and Holland lay claim to lands 
explored by Henry Hudson in his voyage of 1609? 

LESSON XXIII 

This lesson should be a general review of all the 
explorers previously studied. 

SUGGESTION 

The review may here be made interesting by the use of pictures 
and maps. Pupils may be called upon to give descriptions of 
men or the events suggested by the illustrations. The use of 
the stereoscope is recommended. 


no 


FRENCH EXPLORERS 


back, so the explorer now had with him, besides the 
Indians, only two Frenchmen. 

Paddling down the west side of the lake, they 
met one night a party of Iroquois. All night the 
Indians on both sides sang and danced, and in the 
morning advanced to battle. Champlain was at 
first behind the Algonquins, but as the Iroquois 
came up, he moved into the front ranks. The Iro¬ 
quois drew their bows, but Champlain lifted his gun 
and fired. Two Iroquois warriors dropped dead. 
Then one of the other Frenchmen fired, and the 
Iroquois, overcome with surprise and terror, turned 
and fled. It was the first time they had seen white 
men and the first time they had heard the sound of fire- 
arms. Their comrades had seemed to drop dead by- 
Champlain magic. Champlain had won the day for the Algon- 
Iroquois ( l u ^ ns ’ but ma de everlasting enemies of the Iro¬ 
quois. Later, when these Indians joined the Eng¬ 
lish in war against the French in America, the French 
had great reason to be sorry that they had made 
enemies of the Iroquois. 

Champlain returned to Quebec with the victorious 
Algonquins. He set out for home in September, 
He returns 1609 , and about a month later reached France, 
to France He then made a report to the French king, giving 
him at the same time an Indian belt of porcupine 
skin, two little red birds, and the head of a large fish 
caught in Lake Champlain. 

In 1610, he went again to Canada, and took part 


CHAMPLAIN 


121 


in another battle with the Iroquois. He visited other 
Canada a number of times more during his life. T, oya ^ es t0 
Once, in 1613, he tried without success to reach Hud¬ 
son Bay by traveling north from Quebec. At 
another time he took a number of priests to Canada 



Fort at Quebec 


to teach the Christian religion to the Indians. In 
1629, while Champlain was at Quebec, the place was 
captured by a small English fleet, and it was held by 
the English for three years. Champlain himself was 
taken to London a prisoner, but later was set free. 
The English let the town of Quebec go to ruin, but 
when it fell into French hands again, Champlain was 
sent to Canada to rebuild it. He laid out a market 
place and restored the houses and the fort. A 
church was still standing, and on a post in front of 









CHAPTER IV 

THE BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 
LESSON XXIV 


VIRGINIA —Why Spain did not Control All 
North America. — We have seen that in the early 

part of the sixteenth 
century, Balboa, 
Cortes, and others 
firmly established 
the power of Spain 
in the New World. 
If Spain had been 
able to uphold her 
power in Europe and 
also on the sea, the 
settlement of the 
whole North Ameri¬ 
can continent would 
probably have been 
controlled by her; 
but the defeats which 
she suffered at the 
hands of the Eng¬ 
lish and the Dutch 
changed matters. 



Virginia (boundaries of 1609 to 1624) 
124 





VIRGINIA 


125 


Drake, Hawkins, and others on the sea, and sturdy 
Dutch soldiers on land, greatly weakened the Spanish 
power, so that by the close of the sixteenth cen¬ 
tury, England and Holland and France were able 
to explore and to colonize North America without 
fear of Spain. 

Englishmen again Plan Settlements. — James I 
came to the English throne in 1603. Englishmen 
no longer dreaded a Spanish invasion of their coun¬ 
try. Their fear had disappeared with the defeat 
of the great Armada. Their thoughts were turned 
again to the search for a northwest passage to the 
Indies, and to the settlement of America, where 
they still believed gold could be found if they would 
but seek it. 

Planting a Successful Colony. — Sir Walter Ral¬ 
eigh’s attempts to plant settlements on the Virginia 
coast had failed. So the sixteenth century closed 
without an English colony in America. There 
were four things to be done by men who would 
settle in the New World, which the English had 
not learned up to this time: one was to pick out 
a good harbor; the second was to till the soil and 
plant it with good vegetables so they need not de¬ 
pend on England for food; the third was to build suit¬ 
able houses on dry ground where they could sink 
wells for pure drinking water; the fourth was to 
deal wisely with the Indians and be ready for them 
in case they made attacks on the colony. 


English 
and Dutch 
break 
Spanish 
power 


English 

hopes 


Four 
things 
needed 
for success 


126 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Why 

Raleigh’s 

colonies 

failed 


The Lon¬ 
don Com¬ 
pany 


The first of Raleigh’s expeditions did nothing 
but explore. The second did not plant the soil, 
and treated the Indians badly. Englishmen had 
found the way to the New World, but that was all. 
The men who came had no experience as farmers, 
and without this experience they were useless as 
colonists. Then, too, they did not come in the right 
spirit — the spirit that would make them stay in 
spite of danger and hardship. Early explorers and 
colonists came to America for only two purposes — 
to find gold and to find a passage through the con¬ 
tinent to the Pacific. But there is no such passage, 
and there was no gold where they settled. 

The time came when Englishmen needed to look 
outside their own country for work and wealth. 
English merchants who had made fortunes by prof¬ 
itable trade with other countries, during the long, 
peaceful reign of Elizabeth, saw no better way to 
invest their money than in colonizing America; for 
if Spain had found wealth in her colonies in the New 
World, why should not England find riches in the 
same way ? 

Accordingly, in 1606, a company of London mer¬ 
chants received from James a charter, giving them 
permission to make a settlement in South Virginia, 
the name given to a part of our coast south of the 
Potomac River. This company, called the London 
Company, fitted out three ships, bearing one hun¬ 
dred five men for the colony. In December, 1606, 


VIRGINIA 


127 



the vessels left London, bound for America. The 
voyage was long, for the vessels took a very round¬ 
about route. In March, 1607, they touched the 
Canary Islands, and in April, stopped in the West 
Indies. At last, on May 6, they passed into Chesa¬ 
peake Bay, entered a river, which they named the 
James, and, following its course for fifty miles, landed 
on a low neck of land. After cutting down some 
trees, they built a fort and called the settlement 
Jamestown, in honor of their king. 

John Smith. — The colonists, cramped in their 
little ships, often quarreled on their way across 
the ocean. One of them, 

Captain John Smith, 
was put in irons on a 
charge of mutiny and 
kept a prisoner till after 
the ships had reached 
Virginia. But though 
Captain Smith had such 
an unpleasant introduc¬ 
tion to our shores, he 
came to be the most 
important man in the 
colony during its early 
years, more than once 
saving it from being 
wiped out by starvation and Indian massacre. 

Smith, who was born in England in 1579, was a 


John Smith 


James¬ 

town 

settled 





128 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


His birth 
and boy¬ 
hood 


His early 
travels 


Voyage to 
Italy 


farmer’s son. His father and mother both died 
while he was a schoolboy, and he then made up 
his mind to run away to be a sailor. He got a little 
money by selling his satchel and books, but his 
guardians spoiled his plans by sending him to work 
for a merchant, who made him a bookkeeper. 

Smith, now fifteen years old, hated that kind of 
life, so he took service with a young nobleman 
going to France. In a short time he was obliged 
to return home, but soon set out for France again. 
He now took up the life of a soldier, and, going to 
Holland, spent three years in the Dutch army. 
After that, he traveled to Scotland and then home 
again to his native town of Willoughby, England. 

Starting out once more to look for adventure, 
Smith went to France, where some thieves dis¬ 
guised as gentlemen stole his whole outfit. Later, 
as he was traveling through a forest on foot, he 
almost died of hunger and cold. Finally, he reached 
the city of Marseilles and took ship for Italy. On 
the voyage a storm arose, and the frightened passen¬ 
gers, believing that the strange Englishman brought 
them bad luck, threw him into the sea. He man¬ 
aged to swim to an island, on which he found only 
cows and goats. Soon he was rescued by a French 
pirate. So many misfortunes might well have dis¬ 
couraged the young man, — he was only twenty now, 
— but better luck was in store for him. The pirate 
ship that he was on captured a rich prize and after 


VIRGINIA 


129 


giving Smith his share of the spoils, the captain set 
him down on the shore of Italy. 

With the prize money in his pocket Smith en¬ 
joyed himself, traveling through a number of Ital¬ 
ian cities, till he came to Rome. From there he set 
out for Austria, where he joined the Emperor’s 
army, which was now hard pressed by the Turks. 
At last Smith was happy, for now he was to have 
fighting in plenty. The Turks were besieging a large 
town, and Smith joined the force that went to re¬ 
lieve it. While in the Dutch army he had learned 
to make signals by means of burning torches, and 
this knowledge he now used in sending messages to 
the besieged city, to such good advantage that the 
Turks were badly defeated. At the siege of another 
town, he invented bombs, which were thrown among 
the Turks, causing their defeat with great slaughter. 

At last, however, the army he was with was 
badly beaten. The Turks made Smith a prisoner 
and sold him as a slave. At length he escaped 
to Russia and returned to England, where for two 
years he. led a quiet life. It was at this time that 
the London Company was preparing to send out 
colonists to Virginia. Smith, as we have seen, 
joined the little company, and sailed for America, 
where new adventures were in store for him. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

England, on the sea, and Holland, on land, weakened the power 
of Spain, then the strongest nation in Europe. 


Fighting 
the Turks 


Slavery 


Returns to 
England 


130 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Spain had found wealth in her colonies, and Englishmen thought 
they could find it in the same way. 

The sixteenth century closed without an English settlement in 
America. 

In 1606 the London Company fitted out three ships with one 
hundred five men, to plant a colony in Virginia. They landed and 
started a settlement which they called Jamestown. Among them 
was Captain John Smith, who was to become the most important 
man in the colony. 

Smith was born in England in 1579 . He lost his parents when a 
boy. When fifteen, he began a roving life. He went to France, 
and afterward was a soldier in the Dutch army for three years. He 
went to Scotland and then home to England. Later he sailed to 
France and Italy. He then went to Austria and fought against 
the Turks. After more travel and many experiences, he reached 
Africa, sailed to England, and joined the colonists bound for Virginia. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Why did not Spain control the colonization of all North 
America ? 

2. Why were Englishmen interested in America ? 

3. When did the London Company send out colonists ? What 
colony did they found ? 

4. Who was to become the most important man in the colony ? 

5. Name some of the countries Smith visited in early life. 

6. Where did he get his military training ? 

7. How did he get back to England ? Where did he go after 
he reached England ? 


LESSON XXV 

Captain Smith’s Life at Jamestown. — When the 

colonists reached Virginia, and opened their sealed 
Not orders, they found that they were to be governed 
the council by a council of which Smith was a member. But 
although he was no longer held a prisoner, he was 
not allowed to take his place in the council. As 



131 


Jamestown Settlers at Work 










Explora¬ 

tions 


Suffering 
of the 
colonists 


Smith’s 

work 


132 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

soon as the colonists had settled down to their new 
life at Jamestown, Smith, with a group of compan¬ 
ions, went on exploring trips up the James and other 
near-by rivers. Their object was to find gold and 
also a passage to the Pacific Ocean, if possible. On 
these trips, the Indians were often found hostile, 
and Smith, who was the bravest of the white men, 
and the most successful in dealing with the Indians, 
came to be looked upon as the leading man in the 
colony. 

The colonists did not fare well during the summer 
of 1607. Although they planted a little corn, they 
had not come expecting to work. They ate up the 
provisions that they had brought with them, and then 
depended upon the Indians for corn. Fevers seized 
them, and soon, as one of them said, “ scarce ten 
among us could either go, or well stand, such ex¬ 
treme weakness and sickness oppressed us.” One 
half of their number died that summer, and to make 
matters worse, the Indians several times attacked the 
colony, and were driven off with difficulty. 

During this time the presidents of the council 
were weak men, and it was Smith who “ by his own 
example, good words, and fair promises, set some to 
mow, others to bind, some to build houses, others 
to thatch them, himself always bearing the greatest 
task for his own share.” He made visits to various 
Indian tribes, whom he compelled to furnish corn 
for the suffering colonists. They were thus able to 


VIRGINIA 


133 


get along till autumn, when cooler weather made The food 
Jamestown a more healthful place to live in, and the supply 
colonists secured a supply of food by killing many 
kinds of game, as wild turkeys, gray squirrels, quail, 
and ducks. 



Smith Shows his Compass 


On one of his exploring trips up the Chickahominy, 

a river near Jamestown, Smith, with an Indian com- „ .. 

Smith 

pamon, fell in with a party of Indians hunting. i s captured 
He tried to escape, but accidentally stepping into b y Indians 



134 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Pocahon¬ 
tas saves 
his life 


the mud of a swamp, he began to sink and was 
captured. More than thirty arrows were shot at 
Smith, but his companion shielded him, and he 
was unharmed. Fortunately, he showed the In¬ 
dians a pocket compass, which deeply interested 
them, and they spared his life. They treated him 
well, but led him toward the camp of the Powhatan, 
the chief of the Powhatan tribe of Indians; his village 
was located near where the city of Richmond now 
stands. Smith asked permission to send a letter 
to Jamestown. This he was allowed to do, and 
when the messengers brought back an answer, the 
Indians were amazed at the wonderful power of 
their captive, who could make the writing speak 
for him. 

At length, Smith was led before the Powhatan. 
The chief sat in the center of a group of Indian 
braves and squaws. Smith was given water for 
washing his hands and turkey* feathers to dry them 
on. Then he was feasted. After the feast the In¬ 
dians held a council, and decided to kill him. They 
laid the head of their captive on a large stone, and 
two warriors raised their clubs, ready to dash out 
his brains, when suddenly Pocahontas, the Pow¬ 
hatan’s favorite daughter, flinging herself between 
Smith and the upraised clubs, begged her father to 
spare Smith’s life. The Powhatan, to please her, 
gave the prisoner his freedom. Smith was com¬ 
manded to make hatchets for the chief, and bells 


VIRGINIA 


135 



and beads for Pocahontas. He was then made 
a member of the tribe and was allowed to return to 
Jamestown. 


Pocahontas Saves Smith's Life 

Jamestown. —The winter following was partic¬ 
ularly cold, and the sufferings of the colonists were 
very great. Smith barely prevented a number of Sufferings 
them from going back to England, by turning the co i on i s t s 
guns of the fort on their boat and giving them no 
choice but to 44 stay or sink.” 

Captain Newport, who had brought the colonists 
to Jamestown, had returned to England, and in 
December, 1607, the London Company sent him out 
again with fresh supplies of food and men for the 





136 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


James¬ 

town 

burned 


“ Yellow 
dirt ” 
shipped 
for gold 


James¬ 
town re¬ 
built 


Further 

explora¬ 

tions 


colony. He had scarcely arrived, when Jamestown 
was accidentally destroyed by fire. For the rest of 
the winter, the colonists lived in tents and in huts 
made of boughs. They lived on the supplies that 
Newport had brought, and on corn which Pocahontas 
and other Indian women carried to them once or 
twice a week. But the cold was severe, and twenty- 
eight more of the colonists died. By September only 
one hundred and thirty of those who had come from 
England since 1606 remained alive. 

During all this time, Smith had done his best to 
keep order in the colony. This was no easy task, 
and became especially difficult when the settlers 
discovered what they thought was gold, but was 
really a “ yellow dirt,” which they spent all their 
time in collecting and loading on Newport’s vessel. 
Smith had no use for the worthless stuff, and when 
the ship had gone, with other able men he set to 
work to rebuild the town, strengthen the fort, and 
prepare the ground for corn planting. The Indians 
gave considerable trouble, but whenever Smith 
found them skulking near Jamestown, he caught 
the offenders and flogged them, but wisely killed 
none. 

Early in the summer, Captain Smith went on an 
exploring trip down the James River and up Chesa¬ 
peake Bay and the Potomac River. He hoped to 
find a passage to the Pacific Ocean, but was disap¬ 
pointed in his search. Sometimes the Indians 


VIRGINIA 


137 


greeted his party with a shower of arrows, and once 
he was almost shipwrecked, but he found time to 
make a fine map of the country, and returned to 
Jamestown bringing many curious articles which he 
had obtained in trade with the Indians. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Smith explored the country, trying to find gold and a passage to 
the Pacific. The Indians were hostile. 

The colonists did not want to work, and suffered fever, starvation, 
and death in the summer of 1607. Smith got food from the Indians 
and made the colonists work. 

Smith was captured by the Indians and condemned to death, but 
Pocahontas saved his life. During the winter of 1607-1608, the 
colonists suffered greatly from the cold. Jamestown was burned, 
and rebuilt. 

Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, 
looking in vain for the Pacific Ocean. He made a map of the country 
and traded with the Indians. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. How did the colonists treat Smith when the company 
reached Jamestown ? 

2. Why did Smith make exploring trips up the James and 
other rivers ? 

3. What troubles did the colonists have during the summer of 
1G07? 

4. What did Smith do to help them ? 

5. Give an account of Smith’s capture by the Indians. Who 
was the Powhatan ? Who was Pocahontas ? How did she save 
Smith’s life ? 

6. What troubles did the colonists have during the winter of 
1607-1608 ? How did Smith help them ? 

7. What was the result of his exploring trip in the early sum¬ 
mer of 1608 ? 


138 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZ/VTION 


LESSON XXVI 

Captain Smith President of the Council. — Smith 

had become such an important member of the 
colony, that he was elected president of the council. 
Newcolo- About this time, Newport arrived again with a new 
nists amve SU pply Q f food and new colonists, among whom were 
several women. He brought also instructions to 
the council at Jamestown to crown the Powhatan 
with a golden crown. 



Crowning the Powhatan 


Captain Smith and Newport accordingly visited 

The the chief to perform the ceremony. The Powhatan 

Powhatan ^id no t wan t a crow n, and would bow to no one. 
crowned 

By bearing all their weight on his shoulders, they 







VIRGINIA 


139 


finally got him to kneel and crowned him, much to 
his disgust. Then they fired a volley from their 
muskets in honor of the occasion, and this so fright¬ 
ened the poor Indian chief that he dashed off into 
the woods, and it was with difficulty that they got 
him to return to receive a present of a bed, a pitcher, 
and a washbasin, which they had brought him. 
At length, the Powhatan became quiet, and, thank¬ 
ing the Englishmen, made Newport a gift of his 
moccasins. 

Smith had considerable trouble in making the 
new settlers work. He took them into the woods 
and set them to cutting down trees, and splitting 
these into boards. Sometimes their hands became 
blistered and the men swore. Captain Smith 
counted each man’s oaths, and at the end of the 
day, poured a can of cold water down his sleeve for 
every oath he had uttered. 

As the winter drew near, the condition of the 
colony grew worse. The ships had brought many 
rats. These animals got into the corncribs and ate 
up much of the corn. Besides, much of it rotted, 
and starvation threatened the colonists. The Pow¬ 
hatan had been kind to them the winter before, but 
now he thought that the white men were getting 
too numerous, and prepared to destroy them by 
refusing supplies of food. 

Smith was the only man who could bring the 
Indians to terms. Late in December, he set out 


Smith 

rules 

strictly 


Food gives 
out 


140 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Smith 
gets food 


with eighteen men in two boats to demand corn 
from the Powhatan. Going down the James, they 
rounded a peninsula and sailed up the York to the 
chief’s camp. The wily Indian pretended to be very 
friendly and gave them corn, but would have killed 
the Englishmen if they had not been warned by Poca¬ 
hontas, who came at dead of night to tell them of her 
father’s plans. At another village a chief invited 
the white men into his house, and then surrounded 
it with seven hundred warriors. The men from 
Jamestown thought their last hour had come, and 
they would no doubt have perished, had not Smith 
suddenly seized the chief by his scalp lock and held 
a pistol to his head, while he ordered the warriors 
to put down their weapons. The rest of the tribe 
now begged for peace, and the colonists got all the 
corn they wanted. 

When Smith returned to Jamestown early in 
February, 1609, he found the settlers in a sorry 
plight. They were wasting their time and trading 
away most of their tools for ridiculously small meas¬ 
ures of corn.^ He made up his mind that he would 
not feed the lazy do-nothings among the colonists. 
He told them plainly “He that will not work shall 
not eat.” They saw that he meant what he said 
and began to work. They “ digged and planted with 
maize some thirty acres” and began building with such 
a will that soon Jamestown was a town of fifty 
houses enclosed in a stockade of logs fifteen feet 


VIRGINIA 


141 


high. He divided the colonists into squads of ten 
or fifteen men each, and made them work six hours 
a day, making tar, pitch, soap, ashes and glass. 
He fed them with corn he had brought and kept 
them alive till the next harvest. By the next year 
there were five hundred settlers in the colony and 
things looked bright for its prosperity. 

Under Smith’s rule the colony had endured for 
two and a half years, when one day an accident 
happened to him which ended his usefulness in 
Jamestown. While he was on an expedition up the 
James River to found a town on the site of an In¬ 
dian village, a companion carelessly exploded a bag 
of gunpowder in the boat. Smith’s clothes were set 
afire, and jumping into the water to put out the 
flames, he was nearly drowned. He had been badly 
burned, and could not get proper medical treat¬ 
ment in Virginia. Accordingly, in October, 1609, 
he was carried aboard a ship that was returning to 
England. He was never again to set foot in the 
colony which his efforts had kept alive, and which 
was now soon to be brought almost to ruin because 
of his absence. 

Raleigh planned a colony in Virginia; Smith 
successfully founded one. But for Smith’s efforts 
Jamestown would have suffered the fate of Roanoke. 

When the Indians found Smith had gone away, 
they started to plunder and murder the colonists. 
Moreover, death from disease visited some house 


Again 
forces 
colonists 
to work 


Growth of 
James¬ 
town, 1609 


Meets 
with an 
accident 


Returns to 
England " 


What we 
owe to 
Smith 


142 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


The 
Starving 
Time ” 


each day, and, when the owner was gone, the house 
was used for firewood. With the winter starva¬ 
tion came, and the colonists who were left, after 
eating the hogs, hens, goats, and sheep, were forced 
to eat horse flesh, roots, acorns, and even the 
skins of horses, and finally a few became cannibals. 
This terrible winter has been known ever since 
as the “ Starving Time.” When new colonists 
arrived in the summer of 1610, they found only 
about sixty starved human beings almost crazy 
from lack of food and care. The newcomers took 
the miserable creatures on board their ships and 
started for Newfoundland. But before they were 
out of the James River, another ship from England, 
with Lord Delaware, the new governor, aboard, 
came in sight, and the whole company returned to 
Jamestown to renew the settlement. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Smith finally became president of the council governing the 
colony. He taught the new settlers how to work. 

During the winter of 1608-1609, the food supply gave out. The 
Indians refused the colonists corn, and twice Smith nearly lost his 
life in bringing the Indians to terms. While he was away getting 
food, the settlers wasted their time. He made them work. Smith 
ruled so well for two and a half years that he saved the colony. 
In 1609 he was seriously hurt and returned to England for treat¬ 
ment. He never visited the colony again. 

Raleigh planned a colony, but Smith successfully founded one. 

The colonists who survived the “ Starving Time” attempted 
to leave the colony in the summer of 1610. Lord Delaware made 
them return to Jamestown. 


VIRGINIA 


143 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. In the winter of 1608-1609 what happened to the colonists ? 
How did they get corn to eat ? 

2. What were the settlers doing during Smith’s absence 
from Jamestown in February, 1609? What did he make them 
do when he returned ? 

3. Why did Smith return to England ? 

4. Why did the Jamestown colony owe so much to Captain 
Smith ? 

5. Why did the colonists wish to abandon the colony in 
1610? Who prevented them ? 

LESSON XXVII 

Jamestown from 1610 - 1621 . — Governor Dela¬ 
ware brought with him a new charter which per¬ 
mitted the colony to extend north and south for 
four hundred miles, and west from the Atlantic 
Ocean all the way to the Pacific. He made the 
colonists go to church every day before going to 
work. He won back the friendship of the Indians, 
forced lazy settlers to work, and made Jamestown 
again a flourishing colony. Governor Delaware 
stayed in the colony only nine months and then 
had to go back to England on account of failing 
health. 

The London Company then appointed as Grand 
Marshal of Virginia, Sir Thomas Dale, a man who 
hated wickedness and believed in punishing bad men 
severely. He sailed at once to take up the govern¬ 
ment of the colony, arriving in Virginia early in 


Governor 

Delaware 


Governor 

Dale 



144 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

1611, two months after Governor Delaware had 
left. He was kind enough to law-abiding colonists 
and to such as were willing to work. But some of 
the men he found wasting their time bowling in the 


Governor Dale Rebukes the Jamestown Idlers 

streets of Jamestown. Those idlers he soon brought 
back to habits of industry. 

Dale founded another colony up the James River 
Dale at a much more healthful place than Jamestown, 
another Here he built a strong settlement and called it the 
settlement City of Henricus. Up to the time that Governor 
Dale came to Virginia whatever was grown on the 
land, such as Indian corn, was put into a common 
storehouse from which all the colonists were fed. 



VIRGINIA 


145 


Lazy men found it easy to live this way, for they 
lived on food which hard-working men had sent 
to the storehouse. So it came about that one 
fifth of the colonists supported the rest. This 
way of doing things might have destroyed the 
colony, before Governor Dale came to Virginia, 
had not Captain Smith and Lord Delaware been 
able to make the laggards work by threats of severe 
punishment. 

But Governor Dale thought of a much better 
way to carry on the colony. He decided to give 
every colonist three acres of ground that he could 
call his own. The colonist could keep whatever 
he raised on his land except six bushels of corn a 
year which he must pay to the public treasury as a 
tax. When a settler had some land of his own he 
felt that he ought to take care of it and work on it. 
This feeling gave him self-respect and made a man 
of him, instead of a lazy good-for-nothing. After 
Governor Dale began this plan, starvation never 
again visited Virginia. With better homes and 
greater safety it was said that three men did more 
work under the new rule than twenty did under the 
old way of living. 

Early in 1611, Captain Argali, a slave trader, 
captured Pocahontas, whose father was on the 
warpath against the English, and brought her to 
Governor Dale at Jamestown. Dale treated her as 
a princess, but offered to restore her to her father, 


The 

common 

storehouse 


Dale’s 

reform 


146 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


the Powhatan, for a large quantity of corn. The 
Rolfe Powhatan would not listen to this offer, and it is 
•aliontas sa ^ that, P° ca hontas decided to join the English 
since her father cared so little for her. 



Marriage of Pocahontas 


The English called her Lady Rebecca, and in 
April, 1611 , in the church at Jamestown, she married 
John Rolfe John Rolfe, one of the gentlemen settlers at Henri- 
tobacco cus * ft was h e that started the planting of tobacco 
planting in Virginia for shipment and sale in England. This 










VIRGINIA 


147 


J7: 


trade was soon to be the most important in the 
English colonies. 

In 1616, Rolfe and his wife went to England with 
Governor Dale. There Pocahontas was entertained 
as a princess. She 
had not been in Eng¬ 
land long, however, 
when she fell sick, 
while preparing to 
return to Virginia, 
and died. A son, 

Thomas Rolfe, stayed 
in England with his 
uncle. When he was 
a man he sailed to 
America and became 
the forefather of sev¬ 
eral well-known Vir¬ 
ginia families. 

When Governor 
Dale went away from 
Virginia, he left Lieutenant Governor George Yeard- 
ley in command. Soon the first cargo of tobacco was 
sent to England. The king taxed it heavily. The 
tobacco was not of the best quality, but it sold for 
a high price. So well satisfied were the colonists 
with their success that they planted tobacco even 
in the streets of their settlements, and larger tobacco 
plantations began to be cultivated. 



Hoeing Tobacco 


Tobacco 
sent to 
England 




148 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

In 1617 Captain Argali was made deputy gover- 
Governor nor of Virginia. He was little more than a pirate, 
misrule P ut se ^^ ers under military law and had many 
of them shot to death for breaking his rules. At 
last the story of his misdeeds reached England, 
and Lieutenant Governor Yeardley was sent again 
to govern the colony. 

When he returned to Virginia in the spring of 1619, 

Governor it was with the joyful news that the colonists were 

Yeardley } iave the same f re e laws under which his majesty’s 
brings good J v 

news subjects lived in England. The planters were 


Jamestown Church (Restored) 

given a hand in governing themselves, by electing 
two men from each plantation to a general as¬ 
sembly which could make such laws as were 








VIRGINIA 


149 


good for the colony. This House of Burgesses, House of 
as it was called, was the first law-making body to ^ee^s^uly 
meet in America. It met in the church in James- 1619 
town, July 30, 1619, and had twenty-two mem¬ 
bers. They came from eleven towns and from 
large plantations. 

Laborers on the plantations were so much needed 
that the London Company offered a sum of money 
for each able-bodied laborer landed in the colony. Laborers 
This led wicked sea captains to steal men and boys needed 
from the streets of London and other English cities, 
and bring them to America to spend weary years 
working on the tobacco plantations. King James 
sent a large number of criminals to work in Virginia, 
and in 1619 a Dutch ship brought to the colony Beginning 
negroes to be sold as slaves to work in the tobacco 
fields. This was the beginning of negro slavery in America 
America. It lasted two hundred and forty years. 

Negro slaves proved very profitable in the cotton 
and tobacco fields; for they were paid no wages 
and could stand hard out-door labor. 

Virginia from 1621 to 1624. — Sir Francis Wyatt 
became governor of Virginia in 1621, and all went 
well till the next year. Then the Indians made a 
desperate effort to destroy the settlements in Vir- Indian 
ginia. Three hundred and fifty settlers were killed, 
and, of the eighty plantations, very few were saved. 

This was a hard blow to Virginia; but the colonists 
felt they had received a still harder blow when in 


150 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


July, 1624 , King James took away their charter 
and brought the colony under his own rule. 



Indians Attacking a Settlement 


WHAT TO KNOW 

Delaware made friends of the Indians. Ill-health made him 
return to England. 

In 1611, Dale came to govern Virginia. He was a strict and 
able ruler. He did away with the common storehouse and gave 
each man land of his own to care for. Starvation never came again 
in Virginia. 

John Rolfe, a settler, married Pocahontas. He started tobacco 
planting, the most important industry in Virginia. 






VIRGINIA 


151 


In 1619, when Yeardley was governor, the House of Burgesses 
was formed to help the people govern themselves. 

In 1619, negro slaves were first brought into Virginia. 

In 1622, almost all the Virginia settlements were destroyed by 
the Indians. Virginia became a royal colony in 1624. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. How did Governor Dale ride the colony of Jamestown? 

2. How did the common storehouse in Virginia do harm ? 

3. How did Governor Dale make all the settlers work ? 

4. What trade was started by John Rolfe? 

5. What was the first law-making body in America called ? 

6. When and where did it meet ? 

7. .Where did negro slavery in America begin? When? 

8. What trouble did Virginia have with the Indians in 1622? 

9. How was the government of Virginia changed in 1624 ? 

LESSON XXVIII 

Virginia, a Successful Colony. — The London 
Company had worked nobly for Virginia; for, in 
the fifteen years, from 1609 to 1624, nine thousand 
settlers had been sent to that colony. The tobacco 
trade there had become profitable, and, most im¬ 
portant of all, Englishmen had founded the first 
representative government in America. When men 
saw the wealth that tobacco growing would bring 
them, many came to Virginia to become tobacco 
planters. Moreover, tobacco was used for money; 
and the Virginian could buy with it, in Europe, 
anything he wanted. 

Virginia from 1625 to 1676. — King James died 
the year after the colony lost its charter. He was 


Growth of 

Virginia, 

1609-1624 


152 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Charles I 
becomes 
king 


The 
colonists 
gain power 


succeeded by his son, Charles I. James thought 
that nobody knew anything but himself and had 
ruled so unwisely that he had 
earned for himself the title of 
“ the wisest fool in Christen¬ 
dom.* * Charles, however, was 
no fool. He was a sensible 
man and would have made a 
good king if he had tried to 
follow the wishes of his people. 
But, like his father, he believed 
that God had made him king, 
and that he could rule as he 
pleased. 

The English people did not agree with Charles, 
and a long struggle began between king and people. 
Charles needed money, and to get it he wanted to 
control the tobacco trade of Virginia. To do that, 
he had to deal with the Virginia Assembly, composed 
of the representatives of the people. The Assembly 
tried to drive such a sharp bargain with the king 
that he could come to no agreement with them. 
Because of his troubles in England, Charles could 
not make the colonists do as he wished. 

Although Charles became king in 1625, he did not 
appoint a royal governor for Virginia until 1629, 
when he sent over Sir John Harvey to rule. The 
colonists did not like him. Charles was displeased 
with the independent spirit of the Virginians and 



King Charles I 


VIRGINIA 


153 


would not recall Harvey. But the king had too 
much trouble at home to oppose the colonists, and 
in 1639 sent Sir Francis Wyatt to take Harvey’s 
place. Wyatt had pleased the colonists as governor 
before. 

In 1642 Charles sent over another governor, Sir 
William Berkeley, to take the place of Wyatt. 
Berkeley ruled wisely and all went 
well until 1649. King Charles had 
quarreled with his people in Eng¬ 
land ever since he had become king. 

Those who opposed him were called 
the Puritan Party, or Roundheads, 
because they wore their hair cut 
round. His followers were called 
Royalists, or Cavaliers. In 1649 
the Puritan Party brought Charles 
to trial and beheaded him. The 
Puritan government of England 
then sent men to Virginia to look 
into Berkeley’s government, and (Puritan) 
Berkeley was removed. 

During Puritan rule Virginia had freedom of 
religion and trade, but when Oliver Cromwell, 
the head of the Puritan government in England, 
died, and Charles II came to the throne in 1660, 
Berkeley again became governor of Virginia. 

In 1676, toward the close of Berkeley’s rule of 
sixteen years, the English colonies which had been 



Berkeley 

becomes 

governor 


Round- 
heads and 
Cavaliers 


Berkeley 

removed 


Berkeley 

again 

governor 


154 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Indian 
Wai of 
1676 


Bacon 
punishes 
the Indians 


planted in New England were visited with a terrible 
Indian war. The Indians in Virginia, like the others 
farther north, seemed to wish to 
drive all the white men out of the 
country. Houses were burned, 
and people murdered to the num¬ 
ber of three hundred, on outlying 
Virginia plantations. Governor 
Berkeley was appealed to for 
help, but he paid no attention 
to the people’s sufferings. 

Bacon's Rebellion.—Nathaniel 
Bacon, a tall, fine-looking and 
rich young colonist, took the 
people’s part and asked Berkeley 
for permission to lead soldiers 
against the Indians. The governor refused to allow 
this, for he was afraid Bacon would then be too 
powerful. Besides, Berkeley had a good income 
from trade in furs with the Indians, and he did not 
want to spoil it by fighting them. 

At last a valued overseer was killed on a planta¬ 
tion owned by Bacon. He could wait no longer. 
Without Berkeley’s consent, he marched at the head 
of five hundred men, and attacked the Indians, easily 
defeating them. Berkeley declared Bacon a rebel, 
and with a force of soldiers marched against him; 
but just then an uprising of the people of James¬ 
town compelled the governor to return. 



Cavalier 



VIRGINIA 


155 


Twice more Bacon had to go against the Indians. 
When he came back the third time, he found Berke¬ 
ley waiting with a thousand 
men to attack him. In the 
war that followed James¬ 
town was burned. Before 
long Bacon died of a fever, 
and his men scattered. 

Berkeley hunted Bacon’s 
followers and hanged 
twenty-three of them. 

When King Charles heard 
of this, he was greatly dis¬ 
pleased with Berkeley. He 
called him back to England 
and deprived him of his office. This was too much 
for a man of proud spirit to bear, and Berkeley 
soon died of a broken heart. 

Berkeley against Progress. — Governor Berkeley 
thought education would make the people restless, 
dissatisfied with their rulers, and rebellious. Of 
education he said, 4 4 1 thank God there are no free 
schools nor printing in this colony, and I hope we 
shall not have them these hundred years.” Berkeley 
also stood in the way of self-government by the 
people. He kept the same Assembly for sixteen years; 
for its members were ready to make only such laws 
as pleased Berkeley. And although the people 
wished to elect their burgesses every year, their 



Bacon’s Rebellion 


Berkeley 

attacks 

Bacon 


Bacon’s 

death 


Berkeley’s 

revenge 




156 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


The seed of 
liberty 


wishes were not heeded. In religion the governor 
was equally tyrannical. He was a strong Church of 
England man and hated dissenters, Puritans, and 
Roman Catholics. Berkeley was a stumbling-block 
in the way of progress, but he could not stop it any 
more than the ocean can be swept back with a broom. 

We have spoken only of English colonists coming 
to Virginia, but in the next hundred years, many 
Irish, Scotch, Germans, and Swiss came to the 
colony. They were people who believed in ruling 
themselves and not in being ruled by a king. This 
idea came to be the common belief of the people of 
Virginia, and one hundred years after Bacon’s rebel¬ 
lion, Richard Henry Lee proposed in the Virginia 
Assembly that the American colonies should be free 
from the rule of England. So we see that Bacon 
sowed a seed of liberty that did not die with his 
death but lived to flower into the American Nation. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Tobacco brought settlers to Virginia. It was used as money. 

In 1642, Berkeley became governor. Virginia was under Puritan 
rule from 1649-1660. Berkeley was governor again for sixteen 
years from 1660 and ruled like a tyrant. The Indians gave the 
settlers much trouble, but Berkeley refused to help the colonists, 
because of his trade in furs with the Indians. In 1676 the people 
rebelled and made Bacon their leader. Three times he defeated 
the Indians. Then he fought Berkeley. Jamestown was burned. 
Bacon died, and Berkeley hanged twenty-three of his followers. 
Berkeley was then removed by the king. 

Berkeley stood in the way of education, government by the 
people, and freedom of worship. 


NEW YORK 


157 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. In what ways had the colony prospered between 1609- 
1624 ? 

2. Of what good was tobacco to the colony? 

3. Who became king of England after James I? How did 
his troubles with his people in England help Virginia ? 

4. Who became governor of Virginia in 1642? 

5. How did Berkeley act when the Indians attacked Vir¬ 
ginia ? Why did he not do more ? 

6. Who did lead the Virginians against the Indians ? When ? 

7. How did Berkeley treat Bacon when he came back after 
punishing the Indians ? How did Bacon’s rebellion end ? 

8. What people besides English came to Virginia? 

9. Tell what Berkeley thought about education and religion. 


LESSON XXIX 

NEW YORK. — Early Dutch Traders. — You will 

remember that Jamestown was settled by men 
eager to find be¬ 
sides gold and 
adventure, a west¬ 
ward route to the 
Indies. These 
were not the ob¬ 
jects of the Dutch, 
who settled New 
Yor k. Henry 
Hudson, returning 
from his discovery 
of the Hudson River in 1609, brought back with him 
furs obtained in trade from the Indians of the Hud- 



Fur trade 
in America 


158 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Adrian 
Block, 1612 


Builds the 
first houses 
on Man¬ 
hattan 
Island 


son River valley. But in spite of Hudson’s success, 
the Dutch East India Company was too much 
bent on finding a passage to the Indies to think 
of the fur trade in America. However, several 
Amsterdam merchants formed a partnership and 
sent vessels to the North River, as the Hudson 
River was then called, to barter with the Indians 
for furs. 

Two of their ships, the Fortune and the Tiger, 
under Hendrick Christiansen and Adrian Block, 
arrived at Manhattan Island in 1612. Captain 
Christiansen sailed away to explore the near-by 
coasts, leaving Block at Manhattan Island with 
the Tiger. In the fall of the year 1613, the Tiger 
took fire one night and was completely destroyed. 
Block and his men at first sought shelter with the 
Manahata Indians, an Algonquin tribe, after which 
Manhattan Island was named. But the Dutch 
sailors soon built for themselves four huts near the 
lower end of the Island. These were the first 
buildings erected on Manhattan Island, and mark 
the beginning of its settlement. 

From Manhattan Dutch sailing-masters spread 
their trade and carried on explorations along the 
near-by coasts and rivers. Christiansen sailed up 
the Hudson River and founded a trading post called 
Fort Nassau, on Castle Island, near where Albany 
now stands, while Block visited Long Island Sound, 
the Connecticut River, Narragansett Bay, and the 


NEW YORK 


159 


New England coast as far as Cape Cod. On this 
trip he discovered the island off Long Island, ever 
since called after him, Block Island. 

Captain May, another of these sailors, followed 
the Atlantic Coast as far south as Delaware Bay. 
He explored this bay and also the Delaware River, 
called by the Dutch the South River. Cape May, 
at the entrance of the bay, named after the captain, 
still preserves the memory of his voyage. 

The New Netherland Company. — Quite naturally 
other Dutch merchants heard of the rich fur trade 
in America and wanted to have a share of it. But 
the earliest traders did not wish their gains to 
dwindle. So they formed, in 1615, a company 
called the New Netherland Company, which re¬ 
ceived from the Dutch government the right to 
carry on all the fur trade for three years. The 
region between the North and the South River was 
then called New Netherland. The name North 
River was changed to Mauritius River, after Prince 
Maurice of Holland. The company stored its furs 
at Fort Nassau on the Hudson, and at Fort Man¬ 
hattan, a log house located at the southern end of 
Manhattan Island. Near the storehouse there were 
houses for the company’s agents. The settlement 
was only a trading post and for a number of years 
the Dutch thought nothing about planting a real 
colony in America. 

They were careful, though, to make friends with 


Block 
Island dis¬ 
covered 


Delaware 
Bay and 
River ex¬ 
plored by 
May 


Formed foi 
trade in 
New 

Netherland 



160 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

Elkins the Indians. Chief among these Indians were the 
treat^with I ro( l uo i s > whose land included most of the Dutch 
the Iro- province of New Netherland. With these warlike 
quois tribes, Jacob Elkins, commander of Fort Nassau, 
made a treaty in 1618. The white men and the red 


Burying the Hatchet 

men smoked the pipe of peace and buried a hatchet. 
Over the spot the Dutch promised to build a church 
so that no one could dig up the hatchet without 
offending both God and man. 

The coming of the Dutch greatly pleased the 
Iroquois; for the French and the Huron Indians 
of Canada had begun to fight them with guns. 
They exchanged their furs for guns, knives, and 





NEW YORK 


161 


hatchets, and were soon more than a match for their 
enemies. 

It was not long before the Dutch both in America 
and in Holland took notice of the fact that the 
English were making good their claim to America 
at Jamestown with a sturdy little colony. They 
were afraid England would claim New Netherland 
too, for it is said that an English captain stopped at 
Manhattan, while on a voyage in 1620, and com¬ 
manded the Dutch to leave the place, as it was 
English property. Then the Hollanders saw that 
trading stations were not enough to save New Neth¬ 
erland from English interference but that a strong 
Dutch colony was needed. 

The West India Company. — So a new company, 
called the West India Company, was formed in 
Holland in 1621. One of its main objects was to 
plant Dutch colonies in America. This company 
had branches in different parts of Holland. The 
one in Amsterdam controlled all the company’s 
affairs in America, and because of this the settle¬ 
ment on Manhattan Island received the name of 
New Amsterdam. 

To begin a settlement, the company sent over in 
1623 thirty families of French Protestants, known 
as Walloons. Some of these people settled at 
New Amsterdam ; some at Brooklyn, which was the 
first settlement on Long Island; some on the Con¬ 
necticut River, and-some on the Delaware. The 


Need of a 

Dutch 

colony 


Why it was 
formed 


Walloons 
settle in 
New 

Netherland 


162 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Governor 

Minuit, 

1626-1631 


He buys 
Manhattan 
for twenty- 
four dollars 


Climate 


The 

settlers 

worked 


greater number, however, went up the Hudson and 
built Fort Orange, near the present site of Albany. 

First Dutch Governor of New Netherland. —At 
first Director May guided affairs in New Nether¬ 
land. He was followed by a second 
director, but early in May, 1626 , 
Peter Minuit arrived in New Am¬ 
sterdam as first governor of the 
province. Minuit’s first act was to 
call a council of Indian chiefs and 
purchase from them Manhattan 
Island for about twenty-four dol¬ 
lars’ worth of knives, hatchets, and 
trinkets. It contained fourteen 
thousand acres of land; so the 
price paid for it was about one- 
sixth of a cent an acre. This seems 
a ridiculously low sum even for 
those days, since two years before, 
the furs of New Netherland brought the West India 
Company eleven thousand two hundred dollars. 
To-day seven billion dollars would scarcely purchase 
the island of Manhattan. 

Why the Colony was a Success. — The people of 
New Netherland had mild winters and pleasant 
summers, so the climate was healthful. Their land 
was fertile also; and, as many of them had been 
farmers in Holland, they took care not to suffer from 
lack of food, as the English had suffered in Virginia. 



Peter Minuit 


NEW YORK 


163 


The island of Manhattan, where the chief settle¬ 
ment of the colony was made, was narrow and rocky 
at its southern end and watered here and there by 
winding brooks. Further along rose a ridge of low 
hills covered with dense woods of hickory and chest- 



First Houses on Manhattan Island 


nut trees. These hills sloped down to valleys where Manhattan 
Indian villages lay surrounded by fields of Indian earlyVays 
corn. Here and there spread wide marshes, fring¬ 
ing dense forests, the home of the bear, the panther, 
and the wolf. This was a rude country in which to 
found a colony, but the Dutch were equal to the 
task. They at once began to build homes for them¬ 
selves, and by the fall of the year were sheltered 
in thirty log houses with roofs of bark. 




164 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


WHAT TO KNOW 

The Hudson River valley was settled by the Dutch, who wanted 
to trade in furs with the Indians. 

New Netherland was the region between the North and South 
rivers. At Fort Nassau on the Hudson, and Fort Manhattan on 
Manhattan Island, were storehouses for the furs. The Iroquois 
Indians were glad to make a treaty of friendship with the Dutch, 
and give them furs in exchange for guns and hatchets. 

No real colony was thought of at first. But the Dutch were 
afraid that their trading stations were not strong enough to stand 
attacks by the English. 

In 1621, the Dutch West India Company was formed to plant 
Dutch colonies in America and to trade in furs. The company 
called the Manhattan Island settlement New Amsterdam. 

In 1623 there came from Holland thirty families of Walloons who 
settled in New Netherland. 

In 1626 Peter Minuit was made governor of the colony. He 
purchased Manhattan Island from the Indians for twenty-four 
dollars’ worth of trinkets. 

The climate of New Netherland was pleasant and the land fertile. 
The colony did not suffer from starvation, for New Amsterdam had 
many Dutch farmers who tilled the soil. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. What purpose did the Dutch have in settling New York? 

2. How did the first trading post come to be made on Man¬ 
hattan Island ? By whom was it made ? 

3. Why were the Iroquois glad to trade with the Dutch? 

4. What made the Dutch tliink of planting a colony in 
America ? 

5. Where and when was the colony planted? 

6. Who were sent to settle the colony? Who was the first 
governor ? 

7. How much did he pay for the land of the colony? If 
you think the price cheap, tell why. 

8. Describe the climate of New Netherland. 


NEW YORK 


165 


LESSON XXX 

Rule of Peter Minuit.—After the purchase of 
Manhattan Island, Governor Minuit busied himself 
in setting up a government in the name of the West 
India Company. Five of the colonists had been 
appointed to act as a council to advise him. As he 
did not want advice, they had little to say. Besides 
these councilors there was a koopman, or secretary 
of the province, whose chief duty was to keep the 
books at the storehouse of the company. Another 
officer, called the schout, acted partly as sheriff, or 
policeman, and partly as attorney-general, or chief 
law officer. He also collected, for the company, 
taxes on the furs which the Dutch traders shipped 
to Holland. 

The governor had so much power that he was 
almost like a king in New Netherland. The colonists 
had little or nothing to say in their government, but, 
as Minuit ruled fairly, things went along quite 
smoothly in the colony. There was no telling, 
however, when the war vessels of some foreign 
nation might seize the settlement. Governor Min¬ 
uit knew this, and accordingly ordered Krys Fred- 
ericksen, his engineer, to build a fort. This was 
located on Bowling Green, near that part of the 
island now called “ The Battery.” 

A palisade of cedar logs, strengthened by sodded 
earthworks, surrounded the fort. Here all the 


Peter 

Minuit’s 

govern¬ 

ment 


Fort 

Amsterdam 
built at the 
“Battery” 


166 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


inhabitants could be protected in case of trouble 
either with the Indians or with any other enemy. 
Inside the fort, which the Governor called Fort 



Fort near the Bowling Green 


Amsterdam, stood his house, while outside the 
palisade were the storehouse of the West India 
Company and a windmill. The mill served a double 
purpose; for on week days grain was ground into 
The first flour on its lower floor, while on Sundays its second 
church fl oor was use( j f or church services. 

As Governor Minuit’s colonists were mostly 
The farmers, he gave them farms, or “ bouweries,” not 
B ° W and ^ ar f rom fort. These farms lay on either side 
Maiden of a road called Bouwerie Lane, a name still pre- 
Lane served in the “ Bowery,” one of New York’s best 







NEW YORK 


167 



known streets. Between two of the farms lay the 
Maidens’ Lane, a path leading toward the East 
River. Along this path the Dutch girls made 
their way to a brook where they wet and softened 
flax used for making linen. 


New Amsterdam Maidens Carrying Clothes to be Washed 

This peaceful farm life brought two hundred 
settlers to New Amsterdam before the close of 1626. Growth of 
Governor Minuit, however, feared that the English, 
who had settled farther east, would not let the Dutch 
colony live in peace very long, but would some day 
surprise New Amsterdam and try to capture it. 

He kept up friendly relations with the English 



168 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

governor, even sending him as gifts a rundlet of 
sugar and two Holland cheeses. 

But Minuit did not feel safe, and asked the West 
India Company for soldiers to protect New Amster¬ 
dam. The company did not like the governor’s 
request. The defense of New Netherland had 
New already cost too much money and had brought too 
Neth gets n a l^tle in return. Instead of soldiers the government 
charter of Holland gave New Netherland a charter that did 
much to develop the colony. 

By this charter a large tract of land was offered 
to any member of the West India Company who, 
The within four years, would bring over fifty settlers, 
patroons ^ man w k 0 was ca p e( i a patroon. After 

he had paid the Indians for his land, he was allowed 
to trade with them except for furs. He was ruler 
over his colonists, who had to serve him for a period 
of years. The patroons had to pay the expense of 
preparing their lands and providing the settlers with 
houses and barns, cattle, wagons, and farm tools. 
The colonists had to pay the patroon a rent of 
grain, cattle, or whatever they raised. It was also 
the patroon’s duty to provide a minister and a 
schoolmaster, while the company agreed to protect 
the colonists from the Indians. 

A number of the West India Company’s members 
took advantage of this land offer. Among them 
was Kilian Van Rensselaer, part of whose name 
still remains in that of Rensselaer County, New 


NEW YORK 


169 


York, and Michael Pauw, after whom Communipaw 
station in New Jersey is named. But although 
the patroons were forbidden to interfere in the com¬ 
pany’s trade in furs, they did not obey. There was 
much wealth in the fur trade. As the patroons 
were members of the West India Company also, 
this forbidden fur-trading caused trouble between 
those members who were patroons, and those who 
were not. Finally the Dutch government took a 
hand in the quarrel, found the patroons guilty of 
having a fur trade with the Indians, and decided 
against them. Governor Minuit, who was accused 
of favoring them, was recalled by the company in 
1631, and messengers were sent to New Amsterdam 
to forbid all private trade in furs, maize, or black 
wampum, which was called sewan. 

On the way home Minuit’s ship was driven into 
the port of Plymouth, England, by a storm. The 
ship and its company were held by the English on 
the charge of trading and settling in lands belonging 
to the English king. Upon receiving a letter from 
Minuit, the Dutch government took up the matter 
with the English. The Hollanders claimed that 
they had a right to the ownership of New Netherland 
by the voyage of Henry Hudson in 1609 and by the 
fact that they had planted colonies there. The 
English, on the other hand, claimed that the Cabots 
had first discovered the waters and lands along the 
Atlantic coast of North America in 1497 and that 


The 

patroons 

give 

trouble 


Minuit’s 
recall 


The Dutch 
and Eng¬ 
lish claim 
America 


170 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


thus their claim was better than that of the Dutch. 
After a time Minuit was released, but the English 
did not give up their claim to New Netherland. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Minuit had a council of five to advise him, but the people had 
little voice in their government. 

A fort was built on the lower side of Bowling Green, to protect 
Manhattan Island from enemies. Bouweries were farms that Minuit 
gave to the colonists, most of whom were farmers. 

The West India Company gave New Netherland a charter. 
This charter offered land to any man who would bring over fifty 
settlers in four years. He was called a patroon. He was not 
allowed to trade in furs with the Indians. 

England and Holland had a dispute over New Netherland. 
The Dutch claimed the territory because it was discovered by 
Hudson in 1609, and because of their settlement. The English 
based their claim on the Cabots’ discovery in 1497. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Show how the Dutch had little to say in their government. 

2. Describe Fort Amsterdam. 

3. How did the Bowery come to get its name? Maiden 
Lane ? The Battery ? Bowling Green ? 

4. Why did the New Amsterdam settlers not lack for food? 

5. What was a patroon ? What did he do for the settlers ? 

6. What did the settlers have to do for him ? 

7. What dispute arose when Minuit was held by the English ? 


LESSON XXXI 

Second Dutch Governor of New Netherland. — 

For about a year the colony of New Netherland 
had been without a governor when, one day in the 


NEW YORK 


171 


spring of 1633, the good ship Zoutbeig sailed into 
the harbor of New Amsterdam. It had on board 
Wouter Van Twilier, second governor of the colony; 
also Dominie Bogardus, the second minister, and 
Adam Rolantsen, the first schoolmaster. 

Van Twiller, a short fat man, was not a very active 
ruler. He had been a clerk for the West India Com¬ 
pany in Amsterdam, and it is probable that he 
was appointed governor through the influence of a 
relative. 

The minister, Bogardus, had many qualities that 
the governor lacked. He was a tall man, quiet 
and firm in manner, though a little quick-tempered. 
His dark and piercing eyes would have made him 
look severe but for the kindliness of his face. The 
company built for him one of the finest houses in 
tho, town. Its front door bore a polished brass 
knocker, with which persons had to announce them¬ 
selves before they entered. Altogether it fitted the 
dignity of the owner, whom all respected and none 
might speak against without severe and speedy 
punishment. 

The poor schoolmaster, Rolantsen, was not nearly 
so well off as the minister or as Van Twiller. He 
had to collect his salary from the parents of his 
pupils, and they often refused to pay him. At one 
time the struggling teacher was obliged to take in 
washing, which may have given him some exercise 
even if it brought him but little money. Once he 


Wouter 

Van 

Twiller, 

1633-1637 


Rolantsen, 
the school¬ 
master, a 
poor man 


172 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Negro 
slaves 
brought to 
New 
Amsterdam 


Van Twil- 
ler’s build¬ 
ings 


Gives him¬ 
self seven 
farms 


sued a man for a wash bill, and the court decided 
that, as he had agreed to do the laundry work for a 
year, he could not collect the bill till the year was up. 
He could not get the comfort of even a little praise, 
for no one thought well of him as he was not much of 
a scholar. He did a wise thing, however, when he 
married; for his wife, Lyntje, had a little money^ 
and he was able to give up laundry work. He then 
built a house for himself and came to be of some 
importance in the colony, several times holding public 
positions. Another schoolmaster then taught the 
village school. 

Important Events. — While Van Twilier was gov¬ 
ernor negro slaves were brought to New Amsterdam 
to do the housework, while the Dutch farmers tilled 
the fields. The governor strengthened Fort Amster¬ 
dam, and inside of the ramparts built a large brick 
house for himself, barracks for the soldiers, and three 
windmills. Outside of the fort he built a wooden 
church for Domine Bogardus, and not far away he 
laid out the first graveyard, on the Heere Straat, 
now Broadway. 

Other Acts of Van Twiller. — Governor Van 
Twiller’s good acts were few and far between. He 
looked out for himself, much more than for the good 
of the West India Company. It is said, he gave 
himself seven fine farms or bouweries in New Nether- 
land. On one of these near Fort Amsterdam he 
built a summer home, and on another he planted 


NEW YORK 


173 


tobacco. The cost of keeping them was nothing to 
him, for the company’s slaves did the work. 

Because of his failure as a governor the Dutch Van Twil- 
government in 1637 ordered Van Twiller’s recall. lerrecalled 



Van Twiller Watching the Building of His House 


Thus ended the rule of the man who, to use the 
words of Patroon De Vries, had been promoted from 
a clerkship in Amsterdam to govern like a clown in 
New Netherland. 

Third Dutch Governor of New Netherland. — 

When William Kieft arrived in New Amsterdam on 








174 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


March, 1638, to become third governor of New 
Netherland, there was much need of a strong, wise 
Governor ruler for the colony. Of the four corners of the 
i 6 3 8 K i 1 ^ fort only one remained. The cannon that had been 
mounted on its earthworks lay scattered on the 
ground. The public buildings in the fort were in 
ruins, and but one of the three windmills was work- 
Need of a ing. Ships lay idle in the harbor, while farms were 
governor ne gl ec ted and deserted. Here was a fine chance for 
Kieft to make a name for himself. 


The ruined fort and houses he rebuilt. Then he 
appointed his council. The governor had the power 



City Hall Built by Kieft 


to fix the number of men in the council, so he ap- 
His council pointed a council of one, for he wanted the largest 
of one say in running affairs. He gave this man one vote 
and himself two votes to prevent a tie when he made 
rules for the colony. 

These rules were very strict. No person could 
leave Manhattan Island without a pass from the 



NEW YORK 


175 


governor. Sailors must not remain on land over¬ 
night, but must return to their vessels to sleep. No 
liquor might be sold except wine in small quantities, 
while a curfew bell at nine o’clock every night called 
all good citizens to rest. 

At this time New Amsterdam was growing rapidly, 
so that by 1639 more than thirty farms or bouweries 
had been occupied on Manhattan Island, which had 
but seven in Governor Minuit’s time. People 
driven out of New England because of differences 
of religion found refuge in the Dutch colony, while 
many a dissatisfied servant, escaping from bondage 
in New England or Virginia, added to the number 
of the population. New Amsterdam was now the 
home of about twenty-five hundred persons. 

Kieft’s Indian Wars. — Just at this time Governor 
Kieft made a mistake that cost the colony a fearful 
price in blood and almost ruined it. He laid a tax 
on the furs, wampum, and Indian corn of the Raritan 
Indians, to pay for the protection given them by the 
Dutch. But the Indians replied that they were able 
to protect themselves, that they had always paid 
for everything they had received, and that, but for 
the food which they gave, the early Dutch settlers 
would have died of starvation. 

Soldiers were sent against the Raritan tribe. 
Several Indians were killed, and the tribe’s crops 
were burned. This wilful murder acted like a spark 
in a keg of powder. The Indians fell upon the 


His strict 
rules 


Manhattan 

grows 


He tries to 
tax the 
Indians 


Staten 

Island 

attacked 


176 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Dutch settlement on Staten Island and wiped it 
out. 

Kieft would have made immediate war on the 
Indians if the colonists had allowed him. Instead 
they obliged him to call a council of twelve men to 
consider the matter. The members of this council 
were the heads of important families. Their chair¬ 
man was the Patroon De Vries. These men made 
Kieft promise to be more careful of the rights of the 
people. But after making fine promises, he dis¬ 
missed the council and forbade any more meetings. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

In 1633, Wouter Van Twiller became the second Dutch governor 
of New Netherland. While he ruled negro slaves were intro¬ 
duced into the colony. Van Twiller had but little governing ability, 
so Holland ordered his recall in 1637. 

Kieft, the third Dutch governor, found the fort and public build¬ 
ings in ruins, the ships idle, and the farms deserted. 

He rebuilt the fort and houses. He made strict laws. 

He appointed a council of only one to help him govern but later 
had to call a council of twelve men because of Indian troubles. 

Kieft treated the Indians cruelly, and so they gave him trouble. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Who was the second governor of New Netherland ? When 
did he rule ? 

2. Tell about the two men who came to the colony with him. 

3. Show how Van Twiller looked out for himself. 

4. Who was governor of New Netherland after Van Twiller ? 

5. Tell how Kieft governed the colony. 

G. Why did Kieft have trouble with the Indians ? 

7. Why did he have to call a council of twelve? 


NEW YORK 


177 


LESSON XXXII 

Last Years of Kieft. — Kieft had further trouble Kieft 
with the Indians. Some of them asked his protec- jmHans 
tion against other tribes, and instead of giving the 
protection asked, early in 1643 he sent soldiers to 
surprise two of their camps. Eleven tribes now 


A War Party of Indians 

united against the Dutch, and soon began attacks 
on life and property. Governor Kieft was frightened, 
as he had good cause to be. The Indians were well 
supplied with guns, powder, and bullets, sold to them 
by lawless traders. They had sent away their old 
men and their women, and had begun to destroy 
outlying Dutch settlements. 



178 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Kieft calls 
another 
council 


Kieft 
accused by 
the council 


A treaty of 
peace, 1645 


Brooklyn 

founded 


There was no place of refuge for the colonists but 
Fort Amsterdam, and that was so broken down as 
to resemble a ruin rather than a fort. Boats coming 
down on the Hudson were attacked by the Indians 
and their crews were robbed or killed. Settlers were 
slain in the streets of New Amsterdam. 

In despair the governor called together another 
council, this time of eight men. They advised 
him to make war with the Long Island Indians 
and war on the Hudson River tribes. But Kieft 
did little to. check the Indians. Life was in such 
danger on Manhattan Island that no one ventured 
to “ fetch a stick of firewood ” after nightfall with¬ 
out a strong guard. 

Finally, the council of eight wrote to the govern¬ 
ment of Holland, telling of their sufferings from 
Indian warfare and threatened famine. They ac¬ 
cused Kieft of needlessly bringing on their troubles 
and asked to have him called back to Holland. 

The Indian wars were at last settled by a treaty 
of peace at Fort Amsterdam in August, 1645, and a 
day of thanksgiving was kept. In the struggle 
about sixteen hundred Indians had been killed, while 
the settlers about New Amsterdam had dwindled in 
numbers until only about a hundred were left. 

In 1642, colonists fleeing from religious troubles in 
New England, had settled Maspeth, on Long Island. 
In 1646 the town of Brooklyn was founded, just 
across the East River from lower Manhattan. 


NEW YORK 


179 


The settlers were Long Island people. In the spring 
of 1644 a wooden palisade was built across Man¬ 
hattan Island along 
the line of what is 
now Wall Street to 
keep cattle from 
straying away and 
to keep enemies out. 

In August, 1647, 

Kieft sailed for 
home. His term of 
ten years as gov- Palisade Built Across Manhattan 
ernor of the colony Island 

had been a stormy time for New Amsterdam. It 
was not all wasted, however, for in Kieft’s council 
of twelve men and the later one of eight, New 
Netherland had taken its first steps toward govern¬ 
ment by the people. Never again could any man 
rule the colony wholly for his own benefit. 

The Last of the Dutch Governors. — Nearly 
two years had passed since the colonists first heard 
that they were to have a new governor, when Peter 
Stuyvesant came to New Amsterdam late in May, 
1647, to fill the office. There was great joy over 
his coming, for everybody was glad to get rid of 
Kieft. 

Governor Stuyvesant walked up to the fort, 
arriving there amid the waving of flags, the booming 
of cannon, and the shouts and cheers of the people. 



Kieft’s 
term not al] 
wasted 


Governor 

Stuyvesant, 

1647-1664 







180 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


A good 
man for 
governor 


Stuyvesant 
a strict 
ruler 


He then made a speech in which he said he would 
govern them as a father rules his children. 

He was a good man for the position. He had 
been in the military service of the West India Com¬ 
pany as director of one of their posts in the West 
Indies. While conducting an attack on a Portu¬ 
guese fort, he had lost a leg. In its place he wore 
a wooden leg, ornamented with silver bands. This 
made some people call him “ Old Silver Leg,” while 
the Indians called him “ Wooden Leg.” He was 
about forty-five years old, brave, honest, strict, and 
often too stubborn in wanting his own way. But 
the colony needed a man like Stuyvesant to lift it 
from the ruin of the terrible Indian War and the 
sad state of its money affairs. 

New Netherland was now in a fair way to have a 
new period of good times. Stuyvesant enforced the 
keeping of Sunday. He obliged landlords and inn¬ 
keepers to close their doors every evening at the nine 
o’clock bell. He allowed no one to escape the pay¬ 
ment of duties on furs and liquors, and gave the 
owners of vacant lots nine months to build on them, 
clear them of rubbish, or else lose their property. 
Money was needed to repair the fort. The gov¬ 
ernor wanted to get this by taxing the people. When 
he found, however, that the colonists would not 
pay the taxes without having something to say in 
the matter, he allowed the people of Manhattan 
and the near-by towns of Brooklyn, Flatbush, and 


NEW YORK 


181 


Flatlands on Long Island, and Pavonia in Jersey, 
to meet at New Amsterdam. Here they elected His council 
eighteen just, honest, and respectable men, from ^ e ^ ne 
whom the governor chose nine men to help him 



look after the good of the colony. These men 
agreed to build a schoolhouse and to finish the 
church begun by Governor Kieft, but they said 





182 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


The people 
get a little 
power 


New 
Amsterdam 
becomes a 
city, Feb. 
2, 1653 


that it was the business of the West India Com¬ 
pany to repair the fort. 

Important Events in Stuyvesant’s Term. — Gov¬ 
ernor Stuyvesant did not get along well with his 
council. In 1649 they sent a petition to the Dutch 
government asking for a public school with two 
good teachers and for “godly, honorable, and intelli¬ 
gent rulers.” Stuyvesant was so angry with the 
council for appealing to Holland that for a time he 
shut up their secretary in jail. The end of the 
matter was that in 1652 the West India Company 
allowed the people to elect two burgomasters, five 
schepens, and a schout to help the director govern 
them. The schout was an officer much like our 
mayor, while the burgomasters and schepens held 
court and acted as judges in the town hall, or Stadt 
Huys. The colonists were allowed to export tobacco 
without paying a tax on it. The cost of passage 
from Holland to the colony was lowered, and the 
colonists were allowed to import negro slaves from 
Africa. 

But best of all New Amsterdam was made a 
city, and the West India Company promised to 
give it a government just like Amsterdam in Hol¬ 
land. This was joyful news for the eight hundred 
inhabitants; and on February 2, 1653, Governor 
Stuyvesant celebrated the beginning of the new 
city government by going to church in a procession 
with the other city officers. At their head marched 


NEW YORK 


183 


the klink, or bell ringer, who, at the end of the serv¬ 
ices, added the sound of the bells in the fort belfry 
to the joyful shouts of the people. Following the 
klink came Governor Stuyvesant, dressed in mili- 



Governor Stuyvesant Going 
to Church 

tary coat, with brass but¬ 
tons from his chin to his 
waist. His coat tails, turned 
up in the back, showed a pair of 
yellow breeches. His hair was stiffened with 
grease at the sides and stood out from his head, 
and he grasped in one hand his gold-headed cane 
while the other held his well-used sword. 

Meanwhile affairs outside the colony were caus¬ 
ing them great alarm. In 1652, war broke out 
between England and Holland. Stuyvesant was He pre- 
afraid that the English in New England would ^ f es for 
attack the colony, so he began preparations to 
defend New Amsterdam. The chief citizens loaned 







184 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 




the city money for the purpose. The fort was 
“ Wall ” repaired, and across the present line of Wall Street 
Street a palisade was built of logs twelve feet high. To 
strengthen this there was a low wall of earth behind 
the logs, and behind the earthwork a ditch. To 
hurry the work, every man was obliged to help on 
these defenses, which extended from the East River 
to the North River. A night watch was kept to 
guard against surprise. Fort Orange was also put 
in shape to repel the enemy. The New Englanders 
on their part feared attack by Stuyvesant. They 
had heard that the Dutch had tried to get the In¬ 
dians to make war on them. Massachusetts would 
not join the other New England colonies against 
New Amsterdam, so the Dutch were safe for a while. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

The Indians around Manhattan asked Kieft to protect them 
from other Indian tribes. Instead, he attacked them. In revenge, 
the Indians made war on the settlers. In 1645, when peace was 
made, only one hundred people were left in New Amsterdam. 

Kieft had to call another council, this time of eight men, to help 
advise him in the Indian wars. In this way the people at last had 
some say in the government. 

In 1647, Governor Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor, was 
sent to rule New Netherland. He was a good, honest, and brave 
governor, although a little of a tyrant. He made strict laws. He 
allowed the towns of New Netherland to send nine men to his 
council. They agreed to pay taxes for a schoolhouse and a church. 

During Stuyvesant’s rule, New Amsterdam was made a city 
(in 1653) and two burgomasters, five schepens, and a schout were 
elected by the people to help Stuyvesant govern. 


NEW YORK 


185 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. What did Kieft do to the Indians early in 1643? How 
did the Indians take revenge ? 

2. What did the council write to Holland about Kieft ? 

3. What town was founded in 1646 by Long Island people? 

4. When did Peter Stuyvesant become governor of New 
Netherland? What kind of mar was he? 

5. What laws did he make? 

6. How did he allow the people of New Netherland to have 
some say in their government ? 

7. How did Wall Street receive its name? 

8. When did New Amsterdam become a city ? 


LESSON XXXIII 

End of Swedish Rule in Delaware. —Another 
part of New Netherland now gave the director 
trouble. For some 
years, the Swedes 
had kept up a 
colony on the 
South River on 
friendly terms 
with the Dutch of 
that region. But 
now the Swedes 
attacked and took 
Fort Casimir, a 
fort built by the 

Dutch in 1650. Surrender of Fort on South River 





186 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


In September, 1654, Stuyvesant sailed with seven 
hundred soldiers, to attack the Swedes, who, see¬ 
ing they were outnumbered, quickly surrendered. 
The fort came again into the hands of the Dutch, 
and Swedish power on the South River was. 
lost. 

Indian Trouble. — While the governor was absent, 
a man named Van Dyck found a squaw steal- 



Governor Stuyvesant Walking in New Amsterdam 


ing peaches from his orchard in New Amsterdam. 
Indian war, Van Dyck shot and killed her. One morning in 
1655 September, 1655, nineteen hundred Indians came 


NEW YORK 


187 



in canoes, bent on revenge. Swarming into the 
town, they found Van Dyck and killed him, to¬ 
gether with another colonist who tried to rescue 
him. Then they attacked the towns of Hoboken 
and Pavonia, and laid waste farms on Staten Is¬ 
land. A hundred settlers 
were killed in three days, 
and one hundred fifty 
were taken prisoners. 

Stuyvesant was quickly 
called back from the South 
River. He did not murder 
the Indians in return as 
Kieft had done, but made 
a treaty with 
them. That 


Indians Attacking Trading Vessels 


was very wise, for without doubt by his mild¬ 
ness many lives and much property were saved, stuyvesant 

The Indians returned the prisoners, and New Am- makes 

. . peace 

sterdam again settled down to its quiet and busy 
life. 


188 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


The Dutch 
lose the 
Long Island 
towns 


The Duke 
of York 
claims New 
Netherland 


New Netherland in 1663 and 1664 .—A great 

many English settlers had come to New Netherland 
by this time. Some of them lived on Long Island 
and were dissatisfied with the Dutch governor’s 
rule. In 1663 they asked the English colony of 
Connecticut to take them under its care. This was 
not done, but for a while the English towns on 
Long Island separated themselves from New Nether¬ 
land. The Dutch government sent sixty more 
soldiers to New Amsterdam and ordered Stuyvesant 
to hold the English in check. This he was not able 
to do, and soon had to tell the West India Company 
that Long Island was lost. 

You will remember that England claimed North 
America by right of the discoveries of the Cabots. 
Charles II, who became king in 1660, paid no atten¬ 
tion to Dutch claims in America, and gave the land 
to his brother, the Duke of York. James, as the 
Duke of York was called, fitted out four ships, 
bearing four hundred fifty soldiers under Colonel 
Richard Nicolls, and sent them over in 1664 to seize 
the Dutch colony. The fleet came to Boston first, 
where several hundred New England men enlisted 
with Colonel Nicolls. 

On August 29, the ships anchored in the lower 
harbor of New Amsterdam. The next day Sir 
George Cartwright, with three other officers, handed 
Stuyvesant a written demand for the surrender of 
New Netherland, with all its towns and forts. Every 



Governor Stuyvesant Angered at British Demands 
189 










190 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


The people 
promised 
life, liberty, 
and prop¬ 
erty 


The sur¬ 
render, 
Sept. 6, 
1664 


person in the province, however, was promised “ life, 
liberty, and possession of his estate.” 

At first the governor began brave preparations 
for the city’s defense. But the burgomasters and 
other city officers urged him to surrender. They 
knew very well that the fort was not strong enough, 
nor was their force of four hundred armed men with 
twenty guns large enough to oppose the English 
fleet with sixty guns. A meeting of the citizens 
in the Stadt Huys vainly begged Stuyvesant to give 
in. In September, Colonel Nicolls moved his ships 
nearer to the town and made ready to take it by 
storm. Governor Stuyvesant stood in an angle of 
the fort. A gunner with lighted match stood beside 
him, awaiting the order to fire on the ships. 

Just then a paper was handed to the governor 
signed by ninety-three leading citizens, asking him 
to surrender and save life and property. Stuyvesant 
declared that he would rather be carried to his grave, 
but he bowed to the will of the people and raised the 
white flag. On September 6, 1664, articles of sur¬ 
render were signed, and New Amsterdam became 
New York. 

New York under the English. — Governor Stuy¬ 
vesant marched out of the fort at the head of his 
soldiers with drums beating and flags flying, while 
the English marched in. Two weeks later the 
English raised their flag, the Union Jack, over 
Fort Orange, also, and called it Albany. The 


NEW YORK 


191 


whole province of New Netherland was now called 
New York, in honor of the Duke, its new owner. 

Stuyvesant had to go to Holland to answer for 
his surrender of New Netherland, but the Dutch 
government believed that he had done his best to 
look after their interests. 

After a time Stuyvesant returned to his farm in 
New York, where he died in 1672. He was buried 



Burial Place of Governor Stuyvesant 


in a small chapel built by himself, near his home. 
One hundred years later this chapel was removed, 
and in its place, St. Mark’s church was built on 
land and with money given by his great grandson. 
In the wall of this church, at Second Avenue and 
10th Street, can still be seen a tablet marking the 
grave of Peter Stuyvesant, fourth, last, and best of 
the Dutch governors of New Amsterdam. 


Stuyvesant 
returns to 
Holland 


Stuyvesant 
buried in 
New York 












192 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


When the English came, the population of the 
province of New York was about eight thousand. 
Trade with the Indians was growing and farms were 
flourishing. Even in those days the City of New 
York gave proof of its future greatness. 

Nicolls, the new governor, ruled wisely. He did 
not offend the Dutch by trying to make the colony 
English all at once. The Dutch settlers had to 
take an oath of allegiance to the English government, 
but they could still be Dutch in manners and cus¬ 
toms. Although he chose Englishmen for his 
council, he sometimes called on Dutch colonists for 
advice about the government of the province. 

It was in Governor Nicolls’s time that Long Island 
was declared to belong to New York and not to 
New Connecticut. Under the first English governor, also, 
there was a change in the government of the City of 
New York. The burgomaster and schepens gave 
place to a mayor and a board of aldermen. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

In 1654, Stuyvesant captured the Swedish fort on the South 
River and the Swedes came under Dutch rule. 

Stuyvesant made a treaty of peace with the Indians which he 
tried to keep. 

In 1663, the English towns on Long Island separated themselves 
from New Netherland. 

In 1664, Nicolls took New Amsterdam for England. Every one 
was promised life, liberty, and his estate. The name New Amster- 
iem was changed to New York. 


NEW YORK 


193 


St. Mark’s church was built over the spot where Stuyvesant 
was buried and a tablet was placed over his grave. 

When the English came, New York was prosperous from fut 
trading and farming. 

The first English governor was Nicolls, who ruled well. Under 
him the City of New York was governed by a mayor and a board of 
aldermen. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1 . What people living on the South River did Stuyvesant 
bring under Dutch rule ? When ? 

2 . How did Stuyvesant treat the Indians who attacked 
New Amsterdam ? Why was this better than Kieft’s way ? 

3. Show how much New Amsterdam had grown in population. 

4. To whom did Charles II give the Dutch Colony? What 
claim to it did Charles have ? When was the colony seized ? 

5. What name did the English give to the province? 

6 . Between what years did the Dutch rule New Netherland? 

7. What change did the English make in the government 
of the City of New York ? 


LESSON XXXIV. REVIEW 

Review, using the summaries and questions after 
the lessons from XXIV through XXXIII. Give 
attention to the most important facts only. 

GENERAL QUESTIONS 

1 . Give a short account of the life of Captain John Smith. 

2 . How did representative government begin in Virginia? 

3. What product of Virginia made settlers wealthy? 

4 . Name the Dutch governors and tell what you can about 
them. 

5. How did New Amsterdam become New York? 


194 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


LESSON XXXV 


Rich men 
tried to 
settle New 
England 


First 

settlement, 

1607 


King 
James 
upholds the 
Church 


MASSACHUSETTS. — We have learned that Sir 
Walter Raleigh wasted a fortune trying to make 
a settlement in Virginia. Sir Ferdinando Gorges 
and other Englishmen also spent their wealth try¬ 
ing to make settlements in Northern Virginia, or 
New England, as Captain John Smith called it. 
They made themselves poor, but paved the way 
for those who afterward made successful settle¬ 
ments in Massachusetts. 

One of these men, Sir John Popham, sent out an 
expedition that, three months after Jamestown was 
founded, made a settlement on the coast of Maine, 
then part of Massachusetts. The settlers looked for 
gold mines, but found none. Winter came on and 
they suffered terribly. A number died. In the spring 
the rest went back to England 

Coming of the Pilgrims. — But matters were going 
on in England at this time that were to lead to the 
founding of an important colony. King James I 
was on the throne. He thought it was his duty 
to uphold the Church of England and to make 
life uncomfortable for those who did not believe 
in that church. “ No bishops, no king,” he said. 
By this he meant that people who did not want the 
religion of the Church of England would soon not 
want a king. 

In the village of Scrooby, on the highroad from 


MASSACHUSETTS 


195 


London to Edinburgh, there lived a group of the The Sepa- 
people known as Separatists, because they had left s*rooby° f 
the Church of England, and had formed separate 
congregations. 



Scrooby, England 


Driven from their homes by the persecution They flee 
of James, these Scrooby Separatists fled to Hoi- t0 Holland 
land. There they could worship as they pleased. 

. They went first to Amsterdam and then to Leyden. 

But at heart they were English people and Hol¬ 
land seemed like a place of exile to them. Some 
of the young men entered the Dutch army, while 
some of the young women married Hollanders and Their Tea- 
set up homes in the new land. The thought that ^ving 01 
their children would make Holland their country, Holland 
and perhaps lose the religion they had suffered for 






196 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


They have 
neither 
charter nor 
money 


They bor¬ 
row money 


The voyage 


in England, did not please the Separatists, so they 
decided to come to America. 

They tried to get a title to land in Virginia from 
the Virginia Company of London, and, after many 
disappointments, succeeded. The king would give 
them no charter, but agreed to let them go to 
America, if they would give him no further trouble. 
Then they faced the harder task of getting ships 
and money. None of the Separatists were rich, 
though a few of them, like John Robinson, their 
minister, and their elder, William Brewster, were 
men of education. 

Sir Edwin Sandys, a member of the Virginia 
Company, came to their aid. He had helped them 
to get their land grant, and now he helped them 
with money. He loaned them about fifteen hundred 
dollars, and whatever more money was needed was 
borrowed at high rates of interest, from the Mer¬ 
chant Adventurers, a company of London mer¬ 
chants. Even then not all the Leyden congregation 
could go. Some stayed behind with Pastor Robin¬ 
son. The rest, in September, 1620 , went to Eng¬ 
land with Elder Brewster, in a ship called the Speed¬ 
well. There another company awaited them with 
the Mayflower, and together the two ships set sail 
for North America. 

The Speedwell was leaky and had to return to 
port. The Mayflower, however, was more fortunate, 
and with one hundred two people aboard braved 


MASSACHUSETTS 


197 


the stormy Atlantic for nine weeks. During the 
voyage one man died and a girl named Peregrine 
White was born. Among the company on the ship 
besides Elder Brewster, their religious teacher and 
leader, were several men without whom the colony 



The Mayflower 


might have been a failure. One of them was 
Captain Miles Standish, whom they made military 
leader. He was not a Separatist, but had joined their 
little band at the close of his service in the war be¬ 
tween Holland and Spain. He was a small man with 
a hot temper, but without his military skill the colony 
would probably have been wiped out later by the 
Indians. 

Besides Standish, there were John Carver, their 
first governor, and William Bradford, the second 
governor. Bradford wrote the history of the colony, 


Miles 

Standish 



198 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


They are 
called 
“ Pil¬ 
grims ” 


A govern¬ 
ment 
provided 
for 


in which he calls the colonists Pilgrims or wanderers, 
because they had traveled far to find a home where 
they could enjoy their own government and could 
worship as they pleased, 
Edward Winslow, a young 
English gentleman, not a 
Separatist, came over with 
the Pilgrims and served them 
well in dealing with the 
Indians and with England. 
John Alden, another young 
man of the Mayflower com¬ 
pany, has been made famous 
by the poet Longfellow in his “ Courtship of Miles 
Standish.” 

These men knew that a good government was a 
very necessary thing for a colony, if it was to be 
successful. Accordingly, while they were still on 
the Mayflower, they signed an agreement to make 
such “ just and equal laws ” as would be most 
suitable for the colony. Each one promised “ all 
due submission and obedience ” to these laws. 
Every man on the ship, forty-one in all, signed this 
agreement. 

The Landing of the Pilgrims. — The Pilgrims 

first saw land at Cape Cod. They had expected 
to strike further south, between the Hudson and the 
Delaware rivers, but the master of the ship had 
lost his way. The landing was to be made on terri- 



MASSACHUSETTS 


199 


tory belonging to the London, or South Virginia, 
Company. They found, however, that the coast 
they reached belonged to the Plymouth branch of 
the Virginia Company. 



Signing the Compact in the Mayflower’s Cabin 


It was bitterly cold when a party went ashore The first 
on November 21 to explore the neighborhood. 

The first few weeks were spent in looking about 1620 
for a place to plant the settlement. A group of 




200 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


the men exploring the country came upon a ship’s 
kettle filled with corn. This was a lucky find, for 
they had brought only a small supply of food on 



Pilgrims Finding Kettle Filled with Corn 


the Mayflower. Once Indians appeared and sent 
a shower of arrows among the party. Muskets were 
fired at the red men, who ran away in fright. 

The Settlement at Plymouth. — At last a good 
spot for a settlement was found at New Plymouth, 
a place named after the town of Plymouth, England. 
Late in December, 1620 , some of the company 

















MASSACHUSETTS 


201 


landed to begin a settlement. The story goes that 
they used a huge rock as a stepping-stone to the 
shore. This rock, called Plymouth Rock, may be 
seen to-day at Plym¬ 
outh, Massachu¬ 
setts. 

During the fol¬ 
lowing winter the 
Mayflower served 
the Pilgrims as a 
home. Three 
months went by 
before log huts 
enough were built 
to house them all. 

Sad months they 
wefe indeed, for 
starvation, cold, and disease had killed about half 
their number. So great were their sufferings that 
at one time only six men were able to work. When 
their clothing became wet, it froze as stiff and hard 
as iron. To add to their troubles, the food they had 
brought along ran out. In this plight the Pilgrims 
had to eat the clams gathered by the few who could 
work. On the 21st of March, 1621, all those still on 
the Mayflower came ashore to live in the town of 
New Plymouth. 

The Pilgrims had built a high wall of logs around 
their settlement, which lay on a hillside. A street 



Plymouth Rock 


Settlement 
begun 
Dec., 1620 


Plymouth 

Rock 


They all 
come 
ashore, 
March 21, 
1621 




Indians 
come to the 
settlement 


202 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

called Leyden Street had been laid out from the 
water’s edge to the top of the hill. Along this street 
stood the settlers’ cabins built of rough logs. They 
were plastered both inside and outside with mortar 
made of straw and mud. The roofs were thatched 
with long swamp grass, while the chimneys were 
built of mud mixed with sticks and stones. Oiled 
paper or dressed skins took the place of glass in the 
holes meant for windows. Each cabin had its gar¬ 
den where the colonists sowed peas and barley. At 
the top of the hill were a strong fort and a platform 
which held six small cannons brought from the May¬ 
flower. This fort was built for protection in case of 
danger. It was used also as a storehouse and a 
meeting house. 

With the warm days of spring came wild flowers, 
buds on forest trees, and green grass to cheer the 
colonists. The Pilgrims could now get a plentiful 
supply of game for food. Fortunately they were not 
troubled by the Indians. Indeed, one day in the 
spring of 1621, an Indian named Samoset came to 
Plymouth and surprised the colonists by saluting them 
in English with the words “Welcome, Englishmen !” 
Soon another Indian appeared, who also spoke a few 
words of English. This Indian, whose name was 
Squanto, had been taken to England by a sea captain 
and had only lately returned. Squanto proved a 
valuable friend. He showed the colonists how to 
catch fish without using fishhooks; how the Indians 


MASSACHUSETTS 


203 


prepared food; and how to plant corn. Corn was 
a new grain to the Pilgrims. But the Indians had 
grown it for hundreds of years. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

In 1607, the first attempt to settle New England was made, on the 
coast of Maine. In 1620 the colonists came to New England so as 
to have religious freedom. They were called Separatists, because 
they had separated from the Church of England and formed a church 
of their own. They were persecuted in England. They fled to 
Holland and then to America. On account of their wanderings 
these Separatists were called Pilgrims. They set sail in the May¬ 
flower. 

Some of them landed at Cape Cod, November 21, 1620. Soon 
they found a better spot for a settlement. They called the new 
place Plymouth. 

After three months’ work the men had built houses enough for 
all the families. During this time the Pilgrims suffered terribly 
from cold, hunger, and disease; half of them died. By March 21, 
1621, all the Pilgrims had come ashore. They landed on Plymouth 
Rock, which is yet to be seen at Plymouth. 

The Pilgrims built a fort to protect them from the Indians. It 
was used for a storehouse and a meeting house also. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. What events happened in England that led to the real 
settlement of Massachusetts ? 

2. Who were the Separatists ? Why did they go to Holland ? 

3. Why did they not wish to stay in Holland ? 

4. Why were the Separatists called Pilgrims ? 

5. What ship came to America in 1620? When did it set 
sail ? Tell about the Compact made on board. 

6. Where did the Pilgrims find a place to settle? How did 
Plymouth Rock get its name? 

7. How did Squanto help the colonists ? 

8. Describe a Jog house of the early settlers. 


204 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


LESSON XXXVI 


A simple 
but good 
govern¬ 
ment 


Govern¬ 
ment by 
the people 


Massasoit, 
the Warn- 
panoag 
chief 


Government of the Plymouth Colony. — When 

the Pilgrims set up their government at Plymouth, 
they did not at once enact laws. Till 1629 their 
“Book of Laws” was very short. One of the best 
of their laws was that providing for accused persons 
a trial by “ a jury of twelve honest men.” 

Governor Bradford took office in the spring of 
1621. Every year thereafter for twelve years he was 
reelected, and for the greater part of thirty years 
he was governor. The colony was a little republic, 
the first in the New World. Its citizens voted for 
their officers and met together to make laws. 
Wisely and well did the Pilgrims govern themselves, 
even though the king had given them no charter to 
guide their lawmaking. 

The Indians Offer Peace or War.—A plague had 
lately killed off the Indians in such numbers that the 
largest neighboring tribe, the Wampanoags, lived 
some distance away on the shore of Narragansett 
Bay. The chief of this tribe, Massasoit, wanted to 
be friendly with the Pilgrims, because Winslow, one 
of their number, had saved his life. The story goes 
that Winslow, hearing that Massasoit was sick, 
went to the chief’s wigwam, and fed him jam and 
water. Under this treatment, Massasoit soon be¬ 
came well. He never forgot his debt to Winslow, 
^nd more than once protected the colonists against 


MASSACHUSETTS 


205 


Indian attacks. He also visited the 
Pilgrims and brought them deer and 
other presents, while they gave him 
gifts in return, and made a treaty of 
peace with his tribe. This treaty 
was kept for fifty years, and then it 
was broken by his son, Metacomet, 
whom the English called King Philip. 

Canonicus, chief of the Narragan- 
sett Indians, another tribe living on 
Narragansett Bay, was a powerful 
enemy of the Wampanoags. When 
he heard of the treaty of peace, he 
sent the Pilgrims a rattlesnake skin 
filled with arrows. This was a chal¬ 
lenge to fight. Governor Bradford 
promptly sent back the skin stuffed 
with powder and bullets. Canonicus 
was afraid of it and would not keep 
it in his wigwam, nor would other 
Indians touch it. The chief thought 
better of his defiance and resolved 
not to test his arrows against the 
bullets. 

Plymouth Colony Prospers.—When, 

in the fall of 1621, the crops had been 

gathered, and the colony seemed 

to be faring well in trade and in Rattlesnake Skin 

Filled with 

health, Governor Bradford decided Arrows 


Massa- 
soit’s treaty 
with the 
Pilgrims 


Canonicus, 
chief of the 
Narragan- 
setts 


Wants war 
but takes 
peace 



The first 
Thanks¬ 
giving at 
Plymouth 


206 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

that the colonists ought “in a special manner 
rejoice together 99 for these things and give thanks 
to God for them. Bradford sent out men to hunt 
wild turkey and other game. Massasoit was in¬ 



vited and came with about ninety Indians, bring¬ 
ing deer for the feast. For three days the Pilgrims 
celebrated the occasion. First they held a thanks¬ 
giving service in their storehouse church. Then 
they had athletic contests and games, much as we 
















MASSACHUSETTS 


207 


do on special days. And last, but not least, they 
ate the good things they had prepared. Indians 
and whites enjoyed themselves to the full at this 
first New England Thanksgiving. 

But the sufferings of the Pilgrims were not over. 
Cold winters and dry summers spoiled their crops. 
Once there was 
so little corn on 
hand that only 
one pint remained 
to be divided 
among all the 
colonists. Each 
person received 
five kernels. 

The Pilgrims 

found, just as the Indians Visiting Plymouth Settlers 
Virginia colonists 

did, that a common storehouse did not work well. 
In 1624 they arranged that each colonist should 
own for himself an acre of the common land. 

The Pilgrims did not live far apart on plantations, 
as the people of Virginia did, but built their homes 
close together in towns. As new towns sprang up, 
the number of colonists made it difficult to have all 
meet in one place for lawmaking. So in 1638 the 
Pilgrims established the General Court, a lawmaking 
body composed of two delegates from each township. 
They elected the governor and other officers. The 



The Pil¬ 
grims 
suffer 
again 


Common 
storehouse 
done away 
with 


General 
Court es¬ 
tablished, 
1638 





208 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Plymouth colony lived under this government and a 
simple system of laws until it became a part of Mas¬ 
sachusetts Bay in 1691. 

Massachusetts Bay Settled by the Puritans. — 

Three years after the Plymouth colony was begun, 
a fishing company of Dorchester, England, planted 



Puritans Landing at Salem 


a colony at Cape Ann on Massachusetts Bay. After 
three years the colony proved a failure, and most 
The first of the colonists went back to England. But one of 
S ment th em > Roger Conant, with three other settlers, 
moved to a place called Naumkeag (now Salem). 

Events were happening in England that were 
soon to give Conant’s settlement a large increase 
Who the of colonists. There was a body of people in Eng- 
were land who were called Puritans, because they wanted 
to purify the Church of England service and to 
have a simpler method of worship. James I, who 
treated these Puritans harshly, died in 1625. They 







MASSACHUSETTS 


209 


expected that his son, Charles I, would deal more 
fairly with them, and let them worship as they 
pleased. But he treated them worse than his father 
had. Some of the leading Puritans who held high 
office Charles removed; others, he shut up in prison. 

The Puritans then looked to America as a place 
of refuge, as the Pilgrims had done before them. 
In 1628, a number of Puritans, under John Endicott 
of Dorchester, settled at Naumkeag, where Conant’s 
colony was. The newcomers quarreled with the 
old settlers, but Conant soon smoothed things over. 
Then the colony was called Salem, meaning peace. 

The next year many Puritan leaders in England 
were imprisoned. A number of Puritans now formed 
a company, and received a 
charter from the king. 

They fitted out ships, and 
almost the whole company 
of seven hundred people 
under John Winthrop 
moved to Massachusetts, 
in June, 1630, taking along 
their charter. 

Winthrop’s colonists 
were not poor people like Goveraor win throp 
the Pilgrims. Many of 

them were well off, and they brought along horses, 
cattle, seeds, food, farm tools, guns, and fish nets. 
Their leader, Winthrop, was a man of good family, 



James I 
and 

Charles 1 
persecute 
the Puri¬ 
tans 


They settle 
Salem, 
1628, under 
Endicott 


The Puri¬ 
tans not 
poor 


210 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


They settle 
Boston, 
1630, under 
Winthrop 


educated and mild tempered. When, they reached 
Salem, flowers were blooming and strawberries were 
ripe. 

But Endicott’s people had spent a hard winter, 
and many of them were sick, so most of Winthrop’s 
colonists left Salem and founded other towns in 
Massachusetts. On the peninsula of Shawmut, as 
the Indians called it, where Winthrop settled, were 
three hills. The colonists there at first called the 
place Tri-mountain or Tremont, and later Boston, 
after Boston in England. It stood on the land now 
occupied by the business part of the city of Boston. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Bradford was governor of Plymouth for nearly thirty years. 

Captain Miles Standish was military leader and made a treaty 
of peace with the neighboring Indians. 

By the fall of 1621 the Pilgrims fared well. They gave thanks 
to God for his goodness to them, and held a three days’ feast. 

Until 1624, Plymouth, like Virginia, had a common storehouse. 
Then each colonist was given one acre of land for himself. 

The Pilgrims built their houses close together, forming villages. 
In 1638 they established a General Court. Two delegates from 
each town were sent to it to make laws and to elect officers. 

In 1623 Massachusetts Bay colony was first settled at Cape Ann. 

In 1691 Plymouth colony was joined to Massachusetts Bay. 

Puritans were people who were persecuted in England, because 
they wanted to purify the Church of England service. Some fled 
to America in 1628, under John Endicott, and settled at Naumkeag. 
Later, the colony was called Salem. In 1630, many well-to-do 
Puritans, under Winthrop, came to Salem. They soon left there 
and founded several new towns. The principal one was Boston. 


MASSACHUSETTS 


211 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Name a good law which the Pilgrims had. Who was 
governor after Carver ? 

2. Tell about the treaty with Massasoit. 

3. How did the Pilgrims spend their first Thanksgiving? 

4. Who were the Puritans? Why did James treat them 
harshly ? 

5 . When did the first company of Puritans come to America ? 

Who was their leader ? 

6. When did the Puritans, under Winthrop, come to America ? 

Where did they land? 

7. How did these Puritans differ from the early Pilgrims ? 

8. Give an account of the settlement of Boston. 

LESSON XXXVII 

Puritans in America, 1630-1640. — About twenty Many 
thousand people came to Massachusetts between Puntai J s 
1630 and 1640. Some Englishmen believed that if America, 
the emigration continued no Puritans would be left 1630-1640 
in England. 

Then the king put a stop to it. Eight ships were 
in the Thames River waiting to sail for Massa¬ 
chusetts. It is said that on one of them was a King 
Puritan leader named Oliver Cromwell. By the g t o^ le ^ en; 
king’s order, all the passengers including Cromwell 
had to come ashore again. In giving that order 
the king made a great mistake, for later Cromwell 
became one of Charles’s bitterest enemies and helped 
to have him beheaded. 

The Puritans and Religion. — The thing of most 
importance to the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay 



212 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

Colony was religion. There, only church members 
might vote, whereas at Plymouth all men were al¬ 
lowed to vote. Clergymen were so highly respected 


Puritans Going to Church 

in the colony that they had almost more power 
than government officers. 

Some very good people found that religious 
differences made Massachusetts an uncomfortable 
place. Among them were Roger Williams, who 
founded Providence, and Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, 
who settled at Newport. Both colonies were in 





MASSACHUSETTS 


213 


Rhode Island. The Quakers also suffered severely 
in Massachusetts; for they would not take off 
their hats before judges, nor bear arms to de¬ 
fend the colony; neither would they take an oath 
in court nor pay taxes for the support of the 
church. Therefore they were imprisoned, flogged, 
burned with hot irons, or even hanged. 

Government of Massachusetts Bay Colony.— 
The first General Court, or lawmaking body of 
the Massachusetts Bay Company, met at Boston 
in 1630. The towns of the Massachusetts colony 
elected their officers in town meetings. Church 
members only might hold places on the boards of 
“ selectmen,” usually seven in number, who man¬ 
aged town affairs. 

Education. — One strong point with the Puritans 
was education. They seemed to think it almost 
as important as food. For in 1636, when they had 
just begun to be sure of their food supply, they 
founded a college at Newtown, now Cambridge, 
Massachusetts. It was the first institution of its 
kind in the colonies. Later on it was named Har¬ 
vard College after John Harvard, a clergyman who 
died in 1638. He left his library and eight hundred 
pounds in money to the college. Every township 
having fifty householders was ordered to establish 
a common school for boys. When there came to 
be a hundred families in the town, it must set up 
a grammar, or high school. v. 


Quakers 
and others 
persecuted 


Harvard 

College 


Grammar 

schools 


214 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 



Harvard College, 1726 


Successful Business. — It was only natural that 
people who sought education so much should also 
Trade with be successful in business as well as in matters of 
countries government. The Massachusetts colonists built 
and the up a brisk trade with other colonies and with Spain, 
Indies Portugal, and the West Indies. Vessels went out 
with dried fish and lumber and came back laden 
with sugar and molasses. Such tall and straight 
trees grew in New England, that masts made from 
them were shipped from there to all parts of the 
world. 

England had from time to time made laws for- 



























MASSACHUSETTS 


215 


bidding her subjects to ship goods in any but Eng¬ 
lish vessels. The New England colonists paid no The Navi- 
attention to these laws, so in 1635 King Charles Sf tionLaws 
declared the charter of Massachusetts void. The dlsobeyed 
colony took no notice of the decree, and acted as if 
nothing had happened. The king was in so much 



trouble with his parliament at home that he could 
pay little heed to his troublesome colonists in Death of 
America. Finally he was beheaded in 1649, and Charles 1 
under Cromwell’s Puritan government, Massachu¬ 
setts was allowed to live in peace. 

When Charles II came to the throne in 1660, he 
sent men to investigate the colony. They reported 
that it was altogether too independent and that it 
was very wealthy, although it was sending little 








The colo¬ 
nists con¬ 
trol their 
royal gov¬ 
ernors 


£16 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

money to the king’s treasury. At last, in 1684, the 
king took away the Massachusetts charter. 

In 1691, William III was king; he gave the colony 
a new charter. The people of Massachusetts thought 
they would receive all the rights they had lost, but 
they were greatly disappointed, for they regained 
only a few of their many former privileges. But 
although the king now appointed the governors, 
these rulers received their salaries from the General 
Court. This enabled the colonists largely to control 
their governors and make them rule justly. Massa¬ 
chusetts continued to be one of the leading English 
colonies in wealth, education, and free government — 
things that make it to-day one of the most important 
states of our Union. 


WHAT TO KNOW 

Between 1630 and 1640 , twenty thousand Puritans came to 
Massachusetts. 

Religion was the most important matter to the Puritans. Only 
church members could vote. They persecuted all in the colony 
who differed from them on religion. 

In 1630 , the General Court of Massachusetts Bay met at Boston. 
Church members only could hold office. In each town seven select¬ 
men managed town affairs. 

The Puritans paid much attention to education. Harvard Col¬ 
lege was founded in 1636 . Towns of fifty families must have com¬ 
mon schools, and towns of a hundred families, grammar schools. 

Massachusetts traded fish and lumber for sugar and molasses, 
and shipped masts to all parts of the world. 

Under Cromwell’s Puritan rwle, Massachusetts lived in peace. 


RHODE ISLAND 


217 


In 1684, Massachusetts lost her charter. In 1691, she received 
a new charter; she did not regain all her privileges, but although 
the king appointed the governors, they were paid by the General 
Court. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1 . During what years did many Puritans go to Massachusetts ? 

2 . What was the most important matter to the Puritans? 
Whom did they allow to vote in the colony ? 

3. What was the General Court of Massachusetts ? 

4. Show that the Puritans valued education. 

5. How was Harvard College founded? 

6 . With what countries and islands did Massachusetts trade ? 
What things were exchanged ? 

7. Why did Charles I declare the charter of the colony void ? 
Why did the colony pay no attention to this act ? 

8 . What did Massachusetts gain from William Ill’s charter? 


LESSON XXXVIII 

RHODE ISLAND : A Colony with Religous Free¬ 
dom.— The story of Rhode Island begins with a Roger 
settlement founded by Roger Williams, a fugitive Wllliams 
clergyman from the colony of Massachusetts Bay. 

The son of a London tailor, he received his start in 
life at his father’s trade. Then he came into the 
employ of a rich lawyer, who sent him to Cambridge 
University. From the university Williams went 
into the service of the church. As a clergyman his 
ideas did not please the high officers of the English 
Church. England had no place for such a clergy¬ 
man ; so Williams came to Massachusetts Bay. He 
was well received in Boston, but before long he was 


218 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Williams 
driven out 
of Massa¬ 
chusetts 


Welcomed 
by Indians 


in trouble with the men who governed Massachu¬ 
setts Bay colony. He argued that their charter was 
void. He said that the king did not own the soil, 
but that the Indians owned it and that they were the 
only ones who could give it away. He said, too, 
that the government should not tell people what 
religion to have nor how to worship. 

For these views, he was obliged to leave Boston 
and go to Salem. But as he kept on spreading these 
same ideas, he soon had to leave Salem. He went 
to live at Plymouth. After two years, however, he 
returned to Salem. Then word came that he was to 
be imprisoned and sent back to England. For the 
Massachusetts people feared the anger of the king 
if Williams should win others to his way of thinking. 
When he heard of this danger, he rose from a sick bed, 
in the dead of winter (January, 1636), and fled through 
the woods, south, toward the Narragansett country. 

For fourteen weeks he wandered, living on the 
kindness of the Indians. Williams had been a 
friend of the red men in Massachusetts and now 
they took care of him. All the rest of the winter 
he stayed with the chief, Massasoit, who gave him 
land for a settlement. A few friends joined him and 
they started to found a settlement, but soon Governor 
Winthrop warned them that they were within the 
limits of Plymouth colony, so they moved to another 
place. On the way they met some Narragansett 
Indians who greeted them in a friendly manner. 


RHODE ISLAND 


219 



Roger Williams and Massasoit 

of other colonies on account of differences of religious 
belief. Soon other colonists came to settle. 

Two years later, another band of people, led by 
Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, followed the lead of Roger 
Williams. They had been driven out of Massa- 


Williams chose a spot for his colony and called 
it Providence, because of God’s goodness to him Settles 
in his distress. Here he set up a cabin and began P r0Vldence 
a settlement for all persons who might be driven out 


220 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Mrs. 
Hutchin¬ 
son settles 
Portsmouth 


Coddington 

settles 

Newport 


Providence 
and Rhode 
Island 
joined 


Growth of 
the colony 


Roger 

Williams’s 

charter 


Another 

charter 


chusetts Bay, because they could not agree on 
religion with the people of that colony. They 
settled eighteen miles south of Providence, on the 
island of Aquidneck, the Indian name for Rhode 
Island. This settlement was afterwards called Ports¬ 
mouth. At the end of 1638, Providence and Ports¬ 
mouth each had about sixty settlers. 

Rhode Island Colony Founded. — In 1639, the 
people of Portsmouth quarreled with one another 
over religion. Some of the settlers, under a man 
named Coddington, left the colony, and made 
another settlement called Newport. The next year 
Newport and Portsmouth made peace, and under the 
name of Rhode Island were joined together in one 
colony, with Coddington as governor. 

Providence and Rhode Island were at first separate 
colonies, but they were united through the efforts of 
Roger Williams. For many years people who were 
outcasts for their religious beliefs fled from other 
colonies to Rhode Island for a home and safety. 
The colonists often had wordy battles among them¬ 
selves, but in spite of these quarrels, the little colony 
was successful and grew in numbers. 

In 1643 Roger Williams went to London and re¬ 
turned with a charter for the colony, giving the 
people self-government. Twenty years later, Rhode 
Island received another charter from Charles II, 
giving it even greater freedom. The people were 
permitted to elect a governor, a deputy governor. 


RHODE ISLAND 


221 


and ten assistants for the governor’s council, besides 
other officers. All religious beliefs were allowed. 

For nearly one hundred eighty years (until 1842) 
Rhode Island was governed under this charter, first 
as a colony, and afterwards as a state. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Roger Williams went to live in Boston in 1631. He said that the 
Indians and not the king owned the land and that the government 
should not tell people how to worship. So Williams was forced to 
leave Massachusetts. The Indians gave him land for a settlement 
in Rhode Island in 1636. He called his colony Providence. All 
persons could worship there in any way they pleased. 

In 1638 Mrs. Anne Hutchinson and others were driven out of 
Massachusetts because of their religion. They settled at Aquid- 
neck Island and called the settlement Portsmouth. 

South of Portsmouth, Newport was settled in 1639. In 1640 
these two settlements were joined under the name of Rhode Island. 

Providence and Rhode Island were separate colonies at first. 
Later through the efforts of Roger Williams they were made one. 

Rhode Island received a charter granting it self-government in 
1643, and another in 1663. It was governed under its second charter 
until 1842. 


The char¬ 
ter lasts till 
1842 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Why did Roger Williams leave England? Where did he 
go? 

2 . What did he say that displeased Massachusetts? 

3. Why did he have to flee from Salem ? 

4. Tell of his journey till he settled Providence. 

5. Give the story of Williams’s visit to Miantonomo. 

6. What two other leaders settled Rhode Island ? 

7. What freedom did Rhode Island give settlers ? 

8. How long did Rhode Island live under its second charter ? 
Show what a splendid charter it was. 


222 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Why Mary¬ 
land was 
settled 


Early 
settle¬ 
ments in 
Maryland 


LESSON XXXIX 

MARYLAND : Calvert’s Colony for Catholics. — 

Plymouth was a refuge for the persecuted Pilgrims, 
and Massachusetts Bay for the Puritans; but Mary¬ 
land was founded in 1634 to give Roman Catholics 
a place where they too might live and worship in 
peace, something which they 
could not do in England or in 
any English colony planted in 
America up to that time. 

Sir George Calvert, the father, 
was a favorite of James I, who 
made him Secretary of State. 
He was able, gentle, and modest 

Sir George Calvert and the kind of man to win the 
respect of his fellows. In the 

year King James died, Calvert became a Roman 
Catholic and left the royal service. As a parting 
gift, James gave him the title of Baron Baltimore. 

Maryland is Virginia’s next-door neighbor. In¬ 
deed they have the same door. For Chesapeake 
Bay leads into both the James River, on which 
lay Jamestown, and into the Potomac River, where 
the first settlements of Maryland were made. As 
early as 1631, Jamestown traders sailed to the upper 
Chesapeake, and built a small settlement on Kent 
Island. The settlement of Maryland by the Cal¬ 
verts, father and son, happened three years later. 



MARYLAND 223 

In the year 1629, the same in which the Massa¬ 
chusetts Bay colonists received their charter, Charles I 
gave Calvert a large tract of land lying on both sides 
of Chesapeake Bay. In honor of his queen, Hen¬ 
rietta Maria, the king called this grant Maryland. 
Besides covering the present state of Maryland 
Lord Baltimore’s new estate took in a big slice of 
Pennsylvania, the present state of Delaware, and 
much of what is now West Virginia. 

For the government of his colony, Calvert re¬ 
ceived a charter from Charles I. It contained the 
largest rights and privileges ever given to a colony 
by a ruler of England. It offered the freedom of 
his colony not only to Roman Catholics, but also to 
all other Christians. The Virginia colonists were 
very much opposed to Baltimore and his scheme. 
They sent a complaint to England and delayed the 
founding of the colony for some months. In the 
meantime, Sir George Calvert died, and his son, 
Cecilius Calvert, became the second Lord Baltimore. 
He was as capable a man as his father, and with the 
help of his three brothers, Leonard, George, and 
Philip, he immediately prepared to carry out Sir 
George’s plans. 

Cecilius, Lord Baltimore, had to stay in England, 
so Leonard was chosen to lead the colonists. On 
their way, the Maryland colonists stopped at James¬ 
town. They had a letter from the king to Governor 
Harvey of Virginia, asking for them a kind reception. 


Calvert re¬ 
ceives 
Maryland 
from 
Charles I 


Religious 
freedom in 
Maryland 


The second 
Lord Balti¬ 
more 


First settle¬ 
ment at St. 
Mary’s 


224 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 




Harvey entertained them for a week. After that 
they set out with cattle, hogs, and poultry, with 
apple, pear, peach, and cherry branches for grafting, 
and a small boat. Sailing up Chesapeake Bay and 

into the Poto¬ 
mac River, they 
planted the set¬ 
tlement of St. 
Mary’s, on the 
high bank of a 
small stream, 
flowing into the 
Potomac near its 
mouth. This 
was in March, 
1634. 

These colo¬ 
nists did not 
have anything 
like the struggle 
for life that the 
people of James¬ 
town and those 
of Plymouth had 
gone through. 
The Virginians 
had told them that the Indians of the Maryland 
country were so fierce that white men could not 
fight them. But when Calvert and his men reached 


Au^/kttrfmu 

(Jjanmu baltemore 
&Ct/xrni<t. cAljoluli 
(j^roccnu/mm tfirrci. 
nAcncma tic * 


(oaLx/ri. 
baltemore m 
(/5ru et ^frapriclary 

VKana. cl dn&ntrin 


The Second Lord Baltimore 








MARYLAND 


225 



the site of their settlement, they found there a 
friendly tribe called the Yaocomicos (Yako-ml'-cos). 
These Indians feared the powerful Susquehannock 
tribe living to the north of them, and wanted to 
move away. So 
Calvert bought 
the Yaocomico 
village, wigwams 
and all. There 
was much cleared 
land around the 
village too, so 
that all the farm 
labor the new¬ 
comers had to do 
was to plow and 
plant. This they 
did, and by the 
first fall they had 
such a harvest of 
corn that they were able to send a shipload to New 
England in exchange for salt codfish. 

The Virginians across the Potomac River hated 
the new colony very much. Indeed they counted 
it treason for any one to speak a good word for it. 
Once Maryland had been a part of the Virginia 
Company’s grant. But now, the Virginians could 
not claim this land, as their charter was void. 

Nevertheless, William Clayborne, Secretary of 


Bargaining for an Indian Village 


The 

Indians 

friendly 


Trouble 
with the 
Virginians 




226 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Clayborne Virginia, had settlements on Kent and Palmer’s 

destroy the Islands in Chesapeake Bay, clearly within Mary- 

Maryland land territory. Clayborne not only claimed owner- 
colony 

ship of the islands, but also declared that they were 
under the rule of Virginia. So a quarrel began. 
Clayborne armed his settlers, and for the next 
twenty years, helped by other leading Virginians, 
he vainly tried to destroy the Maryland colony. 



Fort on Kent Island 
WHAT TO KNOW 


Maryland was settled by English Roman Catholics. 

In 1629 Charles I gave Maryland to Sir George Calvert, the first 
Lord Baltimore. The charter he received gave larger colony rights 
than any other charter ever given to an English colony. 









MARYLAND 


m 


Lord Baltimore allowed Roman Catholics and all other Christians 
to come to his colony and worship as they pleased. 

In 1634 the Maryland colonists, under Leonard Calvert, made 
a settlement called St. Mary’s near the mouth of the Potomac River. 
Calvert bought the Indian village there. The settlers cultivated 
the soil and did not suffer hardships from cold or starvation. The 
Virginians hated the Marylanders and Virginia claimed as hers the 
Maryland colony’s land. Claybome, a Virginian, claimed two is¬ 
lands in the Potomac belonging to Maryland. He would not give 
them up, but tried for twenty years to destroy Baltimore’s colony. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1 . What religious sect found a refuge in Maryland? 

2 . What leaders founded the first settlement in Maryland? 

3. From whom did Lord Baltimore receive his charter? 
When ? What powers did this charter give him ? 

4. Tell the story of the settlement of. St. Mary’s. 

5 . Why did it prove easier to settle Maryland than Virginia? 

6 . How did the Indians treat the settlers of Maryland? 

7. What Virginian gave Lord Baltimore trouble? Why? 


LESSON XL 


Growth of Maryland. — New colonists came to 
Maryland in large numbers. Many of them were 
rich and educated people. They often brought from 
five to twenty-five servants with them. These serv¬ 
ants received free passage across the ocean, in return 
for three or five years’ service in the colony. When 
their time was up, they became freemen or citizens 
themselves and each received a farm of fifty acres or 
more. Along with the land the free servant received 
two suits of clothes, a gun, farming tools, and several 
hogs. He was then ready to begin work for himself 
and thus start on the road to prosperity. 


How serv¬ 
ants be¬ 
came colo¬ 
nists in 
Maryland 


Richer 
colonists 
become 
lords of 
manors 

Life on the 
manors 


228 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

Many men settled in Maryland on large estates 
near the mouth of the Potomac. Life was much 
like it was on the plantations of Virginia. Tobacco 
was the chief product. Indeed for twenty-five 
years it was the only money used by the Mary¬ 
landers. Ships came to the plantation wharves, 
just as in Virginia, and loaded tobacco for trade with 
England and other foreign countries. Vegetables 
and fruit were grown for the planters’ tables, which 
were also well supplied with game from the forest 
and fish from the streams. 

After the colony was well started, one thousand 
acres of land were offered to any colonist who would 
bring over from England twenty able-bodied men, 
each armed with a musket, a sword belt, a bandoleer 
and flask, ten pounds of powder, and forty pounds 
of bullets and shot. Such colonists became lords 
of their manors, the upper class of the colony’s 
inhabitants. The manor, it is said, was “ a little 
world in itself.” Besides the plantation it contained 
“ the great house,” where the planter lived, with its 
generous dining-hall, its paneled wainscots, and its 
family portraits; there was the chapel too, with the 
graves of the lord’s family beneath its pavement, 
and the graves of the common folk outside. Smoke 
houses, barns, cabins, and other buildings made the 
manor complete. 

Lord Baltimore was a wise ruler. He did not 
get into angry disputes with his colonists. At first 


MARYLAND 


229 


they were not satisfied to have him make laws for 
them, so for two years he let them live without any 
regular laws, other than the common law of England. 
Then he permitted his colonists to make their own 
laws, keeping his right to refuse approval of them. 

Five years after the colony was founded the 
colonists were so many and lived so far apart that 
they found it impossible to meet in one body at St. 
Mary’s to take part in the government. So they 
elected representatives, called burgesses, as in 
Virginia. The burgesses met the governor and his 
council at St. Mary’s every three years to make laws 
for the colony. In 1639, and again in 1649, they 
passed laws giving freedom of worship to all Chris¬ 
tians. This was just one step behind Rhode Island, 
where people of any faith, including Jews, were 
granted religious freedom. 

In 1644, while Leonard Calvert was in England, 
a Puritan sea captain named Richard Ingle sailed 
into the Potomac. He boldly spoke against the 
king, and Calvert’s men arrested him but soon let 
him go. Then, with the help of Clayborne, Mary¬ 
land’s old enemy, Ingle captured St. Mary’s, and 
plundered it. He sent Father White and other mis¬ 
sionaries to England in chains, and forced Governor 
Calvert, who had returned from England, to flee to 
Virginia. For two years, Ingle then robbed the 
planters of their furniture and farm tools, and, with 
Clayborne’s aid, even set up a kind of government. 


Baltimore’s 
govern¬ 
ment of 
Maryland 


Popular 
govern¬ 
ment in 
Maryland 


Richard 
Ingle’s Re¬ 
bellion 


230 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


But in 1646, Leonard Calvert surprised Ingle at St. 
Mary’s and again took full possession of the colony. 

The death of Leonard Calvert in the same year 
Virginia was the beginning of a long list of troubles that 
. Pu ^ t ^. s beset Lord Baltimore. In 1649, Charles I, Balti- 
more more’s friend, was beheaded, and the Puritans came 
trouble * n ^ 0 p Gwer j n England. That year about a thousand 
Puritans driven from Virginia settled in Maryland, 
at a place they called Providence, but which is now 
the city of Annapolis. They intended to govern their 
plantations without paying any attention to Lord 
Baltimore’s government. They asked Parliament to 
have Maryland joined to Virginia and accused the 
Marylanders of persecuting the Protestants. 

Parliament dealt wisely with Maryland. It did 
not join the colony to Virginia nor take sides with 
Clayborne and the Puritans who in 1652 seized St. 
Mary’s, set up a new government of their own, and 
passed severe laws against the Catholics. 

Then Baltimore ordered his governor to attack 
Providence, where the Puritans were settled. This 
he did in the spring of 1655, with one hundred and 
thirty men. He was defeated, however, with great 
slaughter. Finally Baltimore sent over his brother, 
Baltimore Philip Calvert, to become governor of the colony. 
ag trois C the overcame the traitors, and obtained control of the 
colony government again for Lord Baltimore who treated 
the rebels fairly and generously. 

Soon Lord Baltimore made his only son Charles 


MARYLAND 


231 


Calvert governor. He ruled well for fourteen years, 
and during his time, manors and plantations multi¬ 
plied. People came to the colony from France, 
Germany, Holland, Sweden, and other European 
countries. So much tobacco was raised that its 
value went down. This caused much distress in 
the colony, for as 
it was used like 
money, the colo¬ 
nists found their to¬ 
bacco less and less 
able to purchase 
what they needed. 

Baltimore, seeing 
the need for coins, 
allowed the colo¬ 
nists to make shil¬ 
lings, sixpences, 
and groats, to take 
the place of the tobacco. This might have ended 
the trouble but just now the colonists had their to¬ 
bacco trade ruined by a London plague (1665). 
The ports of Europe were closed to English ships 
and under the English navigation laws, the colonists 
could ship their tobacco in no other vessels. 

Maryland from 1675 . — For forty-three years, 
Cecilius Calvert guided his colony with care and 
skill. He died in 1675. Charles Calvert, his son, 
then governor, became the third Lord Baltimore. 



Navigation 
laws hurt 
tobacco 
trade 





BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Five gener¬ 
ations of 
Calverts 


Growth of 
Maryland 


Five generations of Calverts owned Maryland, as 
lords proprietors, for almost one hundred and fifty 
years, till Maryland became a state. The honor of 
the Calvert family, however, would rest alone on 
the fame of the first Lord Baltimore. For his 
Maryland colony as a refuge for Catholics and 
Protestants alike was hardly equaled except in a 
few places, as Rhode Island and Holland. 

From the small settlement of 1634, containing 
about three hundred people, Maryland had grown 
in 1676 to twenty thousand inhabitants. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Wealthy colonists settled Maryland with their servants. After 
three years’ service, the servants were freed and given farms. 

These colonists lived on large plantations called manors. Tobacco 
growing was the chief industry. Tobacco was used as money. 

The people elected burgesses, who met at St. Mary’s to make 
laws. Many Puritans settled in Maryland and caused trouble. 

Clayborne claimed Maryland and seized the government twice, 
but Philip Calvert, brother of Lord Baltimore, finally regained it. 

People came to Maryland from many European countries. 

Five generations of Calverts owned Maryland for one hundred 
fifty years. Then it became a state. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1 . Tell about the manors and plantations in Maryland. 

2 . How did Lord Baltimore govern the colony ? 

3. How was Maryland governed when the population in¬ 
creased ? What other English colony was governed this way ? 

4. What trouble did Ingle and Clayborne give Maryland ? 

5. How was Annapolis settled ? 

6 . From what countries did settlers come to Maryland ? 

7. Why did the colony grow ? Give its largest population. 


PENNSYLVANIA 


233 


LESSON XLI 

PENNSYLVANIA: William Penn’s Quaker 
Colony. — Among the great admirals of the English 
navy in colonial times was Admiral Sir William Penn. 
He was married to Margaret Jasper, a Dutch lady 
from Amsterdam, Holland. They lived in London, 
and there William their son was born in October, 
1644. When the boy grew up he was sent to Oxford 
University, for his father had great hopes that his 
son would be a polished and educated man and 
hold high office under the king. 

One day while he was at college, a wandering 
Quaker preacher, named Thomas Loe, came that 
way. Young Penn listened to him as many other 
students did. He not only listened, but believed 
in wdiat Loe said. There were many Quakers 
in England at that time. They were so called be¬ 
cause they said men ought to quake or tremble at 
the thought of how wicked they were. These 
Quakers also called themselves Friends, for they 
wanted to be everybody’s friends. When they 
spoke to any one, they said “ thee ” and “ thou ” 
instead of “ you.” They thought it was unnecessary 
to have clergymen in churches to preach to people, 
because every perspn has a voice within him called 
conscience that tells him what is good and what 
is evil. They thought too that every one should 
keep peace, and they would not take up a gun to 


William 
Penn born 
1644 


Penn be¬ 
comes a 
Quaker 


Quaker 

beliefs 


234 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Penn takes 
Pennsyl¬ 
vania for a 
debt 


fight even if it was necessary. Before kings, judges, 
and other officers, Quakers would not remove their 
hats. It was wrong, they said, because all men, 
high and low, are equals. Quakers were usually 
poor and despised, while the things they said and 
did so angered the English government that thou¬ 
sands of them were thrown into jail. 

After young Penn became a Quaker, he refused 
to go to the college church or to wear the college 
gown. He also helped to tear the gowns from several 
other students, for the Quakers believed that every 
one should dress very plainly. For these misdeeds 
Penn was put out of Oxford. 

A little later he was arrested for going to a Quaker 
meeting. To please Penn’s father, King Charles 
ordered the young man set free. But the youth would 
not give up his Quaker ideas. He was at this time a 
fine looking young man of twenty-two, with large 
eyes and his head framed in long, black curly hair. 

Penn soon saw that the only thing for the Quakers 
to do was to go some place where they could be free 
from persecution. With the fortune left him on his 
father’s death in 1670, Penn set about to make this 
possible. King Charles had borrowed eighty thou¬ 
sand dollars from Penn’s father. He now owed this 
debt to young Penn, who had little hope of ever 
seeing the money. A bright idea struck Penn. He 
would offer to take land in America in payment of 
the debt. This suited Charles. It cost him nothing 


PENNSYLVANIA 


235 


to make presents of land which really belonged to 
the Indians, so in 1681 he gave Penn a large grant of 
more than forty thousand square miles, stretching 
westward from the Delaware River. This tract was 
almost as large as England itself and it was the largest 
gift of land in America that was ever made to one 
man. King Charles called it Pennsylvania, meaning 
“ Penn’s Woods.” 

Penn advertised his land for sale to colonists at 
ten dollars for one hundred acres. To get people 
to come to Pennsylvania, he offered them liberal 
laws, — trial by jury, government by the people, 
and equal justice for all, whether white men or 
Indians. Religious freedom was promised to all 
citizens who believed in God. English Quakers 
heard of Penn’s colony with joy. Three ships 
brought a large number of them to Pennsylvania 
in October, 1681, with Penn’s cousin as their leader. 
They landed at the Dutch village of Upland on the 
Delaware River. The good people of the settle¬ 
ment did not have room to lodge all the Quakers, so 
those who were strong enough lived in huts, in 
hollow tree trunks, and in caves dug in the river 
bank. The newcomers soon chose for their capital 
city a spot between the Schuylkill River and the 
Delaware. Penn gave the new town the name of 
Philadelphia, meaning “ Brotherly Love.” 

Philadelphia and Germantown Settled. — In 
October, 1682, Penn himself came to Pennsylvania, 


“ Penn’s 
Woods ” 


Penn’s 
offer to 
colonists 


Quakers 
come to 
America, 
1681 


236 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Penn with about seventy colonists. After pleasant greet- 
PennsyT * ngs ^ rom c °l on i sts °f New Castle, where he 
vania, 1682 landed, Penn went to see how the building of Phila¬ 
delphia was getting along. 

He thought the town had a better location than 
any place he had seen in Europe. He hurried on 
the building of Philadelphia, laying out streets one 
hundred feet wide, running across each other so as 
to form squares. These were the blocks of city 
lots on which the houses were to be built later. 
Many trees were planted in the streets, and before 
Penn Penn returned to England in 1684, three hundred 
PWla S houses had been built. Thus the City of Phila¬ 
delphia delphia was begun, the infant model of many an 
American town built since. 

Many Germans soon came to Pennsylvania, set- 
German- tling Germantown, now a part of Philadelphia. Here 
settled w ^ ne making, silk weaving, and linen spinning were 
soon started. The Germans were well-educated peo¬ 
ple, and early had a number of schools and teachers. 
These were the people who first called George Wash¬ 
ington the “ Father of His Country.” French and 
Dutch Protestants also came in large numbers. 

Penn had not been long in the colony before he 
Penn’s made good his promises of liberal laws. He called 
good laws j- 0 g et } ler an assembly, which made laws declaring 
that the Indians should be treated fairly, that boys 
should be taught useful trades, that criminals in 
prison should have work to do, and that every one 


PENNSYLVANIA 


237 


who believed in God should have religious freedom. 
With such good laws there is little wonder that 



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Plan of Philadelphia 


Pennsylvania was a successful colony from the start, 
with contented citizens and freedom from Indian 
wars. 

Penn was kind and fair with the Indians, and they 
thought so much of him that when they wished to 
praise any one, they said, “He is like Penn.” Under 



















238 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Penn’s 
treaty with 
the Indians 


The 
‘‘Walking 
Purchase ” 


a spreading elm tree, the great Quaker made a treaty 
of peace with them. They gave him a belt of wam¬ 
pum, or shell beads. Most of the bead 
strings were white. Aslant across these 
were three wide rows of black beads. 
A number of black beads in the middle 
were set in the form of two men; one 
with a hat on, — the white man, and 
the other without a hat, — the Indian. 
The men stood with hands clasped. 

Speaking to the council of chiefs, 
Penn said, “ Brothers, we are one flesh 
and blood.” And the red men replied, 
“ We will live in love with Penn and 
his children, as long as the sun and moon 
shine.” The treaty was kept by both 
sides, as long as the Quakers governed 
Pennsylvania — sixty years. 

Once, when buying land from the 
Indians, Penn arranged to take a tract 
stretching back from the Delaware River 
as far as a man could walk in three days. 
Penn, with several companions and a 
number of Indians, started at the river 
and walked easily for one day and a half. They had 
covered about thirty miles, and Penn thought that 
was enough. The Indians were satisfied. But some 
years after Penn was dead, three other white men 
finished the other day and a half of the “ Walking 


Wampum 

Belt 















































PENNSYLVANIA 


239 


Purchase.” They walked very fast, and covered 
sixty-one miles. This time the Indians thought they 
were cheated and afterwards killed the family of one 
of these men. 

Besides a city house Penn had a very fine country 
place at Pennsburg, twenty miles from Philadelphia. 
His country house was 
a large brick mansion. 

It had many rooms for 
the lodging of guests. 

One big room was kept 
for meetings of Penn 
and his advisers, and as 
a place where he could 
entertain Indians. His 
own rooms were beauti¬ 
fully finished in English 
oak and were trimmed Quakers in Council 

with plushes and satins. 

They had carpets, too, which were used in those 
days only by noblemen and very wealthy persons. 
The grounds around the house were laid out with 
plants and flowers, while stately poplar trees stood 
in rows from the house to the river. 

Penn’s Second Visit to Pennsylvania. — After 
living two years in his colony, Penn went back to 
England. Fifteen years went by before he returned. 
In that time many Welsh, Irish, and Swiss had come 
to join the English, Dutch, and Germans in the colony. 













240 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Growth of 
the “ Holy 
Experi¬ 
ment ” 


Penn finally lost all his wealth and was even 
thrown into prison for debt. He managed to get 
out again, but died in 1718, quite poor and in debt. 

Penn’s Colony. — Penn’s “ Holy Experiment,” as 
the colony was called, grew rapidly. In 1695, it had 
over one hundred fifty thousand people, and by 1750, 
a quarter of a million. For a long while Philadelphia 
was the largest and most important city in the 
colonies. 

Virginia had about seventy years and Massa¬ 
chusetts fifty years the start of Pennsylvania, yet 
Penn’s colony was prosperous from the beginning and 
in time came to be as important as either of them. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Quakers did not believe in war or in having clergymen preach, or 
in wearing gay clothing. They used “ thee ” and “ thou ” in speaking. 
They said that conscience will tell one what is right and wrong. 

William Penn became a Quaker while in college. 

In 1670, Penn was left a fortune by his father. The king owed 
Penn money, and gave him in payment forty thousand square miles 
of land in America. The king called it Pennsylvania, or “ Penn’s 
Woods,” in honor of Admiral Penn. 

Penn founded there a colony for Quakers. In 1682, the first 
settlers chose a spot between the Allegheny and the Schuylkill 
rivers. Penn named it Philadelphia, meaning “ Brotherly Love.” 

Many Germans came to Pennsylvania and settled Germantown. 

The Indians liked Penn and made a treaty with the Quakers. 

Penn walked back thirty miles from the Delaware and bought 
from the Indians the land he had thus covered. This was called 
the “ Walking Purchase.” 

In 1718, Penn died, poor and in debt. 

The colony, which was called Penn’s Holy Experiment, prospered. 


LIFE IN THE COLONIES- 


241 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. How was William Penn educated? Why? 

2. Tell some of the Quaker beliefs. 

3. Tell how William Penn became a Quaker. 

4. How did Penn get Pennsylvania? 

5. How did Penn get people to come to Pennsylvania? 

6. Where did Penn settle in Pennsylvania? When? 

7. What good laws did Penn give his colony ? 

8. How did he treat the Indians? Tell about the “Walking 
Purchase.’ * 

LESSON XLII 

LIFE IN THE COLONIES: The Three Groups. 

— We have studied about the New England colo¬ 
nies of Massachusetts and Rhode Island; about the 
middle colonies of Pennsylvania and New York; 
and about the southern colonies of Maryland and 
Virginia. Besides these six important colonies, there 
were Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Del¬ 
aware, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. 
Thus in the three groups, there were thirteen colonies. 
Each of these groups differed considerably from the 
others in customs, occupations, and manners. 

Together they occupied a strip of land along the 
Atlantic coast, stretching inland nowhere more than 
a hundred miles. Beyond their western borders, 
known as the frontier line, lay the dense forest, the 
home of wild animals, visited only by Indians and 
roaming trappers. 

The inhabitants of most of these colonies were 
English, though Scotch-Irish people were numerous. 


Important 

colonies 


Position 


National¬ 

ities 


242 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Govern¬ 

ment 


Occupa¬ 

tions 


In some colonies there were, too, large numbers of 
people from other European countries. There were 
Dutch in New York, Swedes in Delaware, Germans 
in Pennsylvania, and French Huguenots in the 
Carolinas. All told, the people of the colonies 
numbered scarcely half as many as the inhabitants 
of the City of New York to-day. Massachusetts and 
Virginia had the largest populations. 

All the thirteen colonies had charters granted by 
the king. Under these they were governed, held 
their lands, and were allowed equal rights with 
Englishmen in England. Their governments were 
much alike. Each had a governor and an elected 
law-making body. In several colonies, the people 
had more to say about their government than in 
others; Rhode Island, for instance, was self-govern¬ 
ing, the governor being elected by the people. In 
three other colonies, among them Pennsylvania and 
Maryland, they had proprietary government, the 
governor being appointed by the proprietor, or owner. 
The remaining colonies, chief of which was Virginia, 
were known as royal colonies, because the governor 
was appointed directly by the king. 

The New England Colonies. — In occupations 
the people of the various groups differed a great 
deal, chiefly because of the climate and the kind of 
land they had settled on. In New England farming 
offered little return for labor because the soil was 
poor. Many men therefore turned to fishing, to ship- 


LIFE IN THE COLONIES 


243 


building, or to trade for a living. Furs, lumber, salt, 
fish, and flour left the port of Boston for the West 
Indies, and in return came sugar and molasses, or 
perhaps Spanish silver dollars. Six hundred ships, 
it is said, carried on the foreign trade of Boston, 
while a thousand more sailed in the coastwise trade 
or went to the fishing grounds of the north, for cod¬ 
fish or for whale oil. Men of the upper class, who 
did not become merchants, usually became lawyers, 
clergymen, or physicians. People were not yet 
employed in factories, for of these there were few. 

English law did not allow the colonists to make 
anything that could be made in England; so neces¬ 
saries, like clothing, candles, and soap, were usually 
homemade, as were shoes, hats, and other articles. 

The people of New England thought a good deal 
of education. Nearly every town had a good school, 
and Hartford had a high school. Men who wanted 
higher education could go to Yale College or to Education 
Harvard. Books were few and expensive and public 
libraries had not yet been started. Clergymen were 
the best educated people, though most New Eng¬ 
landers could read and write. 

The New Englanders were very careful to keep the 
Sabbath, which began at six o’clock Saturday even¬ 
ing. On Sunday no one might walk along the streets 
except to church. Early Sunday morning at the Religion 
sound of drum or horn the Puritans set out for 
church, and there they held worship nearly all day. 


244 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Church 

punish¬ 

ment 


Homes 





I m 

Ducking Stool 


The strictness of the Puritans showed itself in their 
punishments. No one could smile in church without 
being punished, and any one who went to sleep dur¬ 
ing long, tiresome 
sermons was rudely 
awakened by a tith- 
ingman who tapped 
the sleepy one on 
the head with a fox’s 
tail at the end of a 
rod. If any one 
stayed away from 
church more than one Sunday without a good ex¬ 
cuse, he was put into the stocks or the pillory. If 
a man made a journey 
on Sunday except to 
church, he was fined. 

Houses in early 
Puritan times were 
made of logs and were ( 
usually one story high. 

Blockhouses used as 
forts were two stories 
high with the second 
floor set out beyond 
the first. House roofs 
were thatched, and 
through them went wooden chimneys lined with 
clay. There were some stone houses in the larger 



Tithingman 



LIFE IN THE COLONIES 


245 


towns, but usually in later times houses were made of 
beams covered with rough clapboards. The best The best 
room of the house was used only on special occasions room 
such as weddings and funerals. It was kept dark 
most of the time. The floor was carefully strewn 
with white sand traced with designs. Family por¬ 
traits hung on the walls and several rude pieces of 
furniture took away its look of bareness. The kitchen 
was the principal room because it was kitchen, 
dining room, and sitting room all in one. Here there 
was a large chimney with side seats. In the fireplace 
on the long winter evenings logs burned merrily, 
while the women of the house sat near, spinning 
thread, knitting, or making quilts. At the same 
time, the men of the house smoked and read the 
few books they could get, but most often the Bible 
was the book read. Life was not always as pleasant 
as we might suppose, for the log fires did not heat 
the houses very well in winter. Sometimes a house 
was so cold that ink would freeze on the pen. 

New England homes were not supplied with a 
variety of food. In winter fresh meat was hardly Food 
ever to be had, salt pork or beef or salted fish being 
used instead. Corn, beans, pumpkins, and squashes 
were the vegetables most eaten. Tomatoes were 
grown for ornament, but were thought to be poison¬ 
ous. Tea and coffee were not much used. Cider 
and rum were favorite drinks. 

Puritan dress was very plain. Gentlemen wore 


246 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 



wide-brimmed beaver hats with steeple-shaped 
crowns. About the throat they wore deep ruffled 
Dress collars and broad neckcloths. Short cloaks fell 
from their shoulders. Their breeches were knee 
length and their low shoes were buckled. Men of 
the frontier wore hunting shirts, trousers, and 
moccasins of soft-tanned deerskin. Workingmen 

wore leather 
breeches or 
breeches made of 
coarse canvas and 
jackets of green 
or red baize. 

Ladies wore 
homespun dresses, 
as none but the 
very rich could 
afford imported 
cloth. On Sun¬ 
days, when they 
dressed up, they 
wore lace hand¬ 
kerchiefs about 
their necks and 
Puritan Maidens bonnets on 

their heads. 

Only persons of rank such as clergymen and 
Classes government officers and their wives were called 
Mr. and Mrs, Other people when spoken to were 


LIFE IN THE COLONIES 


247 


called Good-man or Good-wife. At church it was 
very plain who were the upper class, for people 
were seated according to rank. Old people were 
seated by themselves, while young men and young 
women had to sit in separate parts of the church, 
which were set aside for them. 

As in most of the other colonies, punishments in 
New England were usually public and quite severe. 



For even small offenses people were punished by 
having their feet put in the stocks or their heads Public pun- 
and arms in the pillory. There they were jeered at ishment 
and often pelted with stones or other articles by 
passers-by. 

In early Puritan New England, dancing, card 
playing, and theater going were forbidden by the 
church. Outdoor sports such as hunting and fishing, Amuse- 
or in winter, skating and snowballing, were the chief ments 
amusements of the young Puritans. After a time 



248 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


the old strictness gave way a little, and to the other 
merrymakings were added husking bees, picnics, 
sleigh rides, and dancing. Their chief holiday was 
Thanksgiving Day, which they celebrated with a 
feast of good things. Christmas the Puritans did 
not keep because it was kept by the Church of Eng¬ 
land, with which they could not agree. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Thirteen English colonies, divided into three groups, extended 
along the Atlantic coast as far inland as the frontier. Here were 
mostly English inhabitants, though there were numerous Dutch, 
Swedes, Germans, and French Huguenots in the different colonies. 

All the colonies were granted charters by England. Some 
were self-governing, some had proprietary government, while others 
were royal colonies. 

The New England colonists early engaged in fishing and ship¬ 
building. They also traded in furs, lumber, fish, and flour. Sugar 
and molasses were imported from the West Indies. 

At first the homes of the early New Englanders were log houses, 
and, later, they built stone or clapboarded houses. Their kitchen 
was used as dining room and sitting room also. 

New Englanders thought much of education, and most of them 
could read and write. Harvard and Yale colleges were early founded. 

These people carefully and strictly kept the Sabbath. 

* 

New Englanders had little variety of food; their home life was 
simple; their dress plain; their amusements were few; their 
punishments hard. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1 . Into what groups were the thirteen colonies divided? 

2 . What did their charters grant to the colonies ? 


LIFE IN THE COLONIES 249 

3. What three kinds of government were there in the colonies ? 
Give examples of each. 

4. Tell how the early New Englanders made their living. 

5. What do you know about their education? Tell about 
their religion. 

6. Describe a New England home. Tell about the food. 

7. How did men dress? Ladies? Name punishments used. 

8. How did New Englanders amuse themselves? What 
special holiday did they keep ? 


LESSON XLIII 

Middle Colonies. — As far as soil and climate 
were concerned, nature was certainly more kind 
to the colonists in the middle colonies than she was 
to those in New England. Farms were profitable 
in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and 
Delaware because the land bore good crops. For this 
reason most people were farmers and also raised 
cattle and grew grain. In the City of New York and 
Philadelphia then, even as now, many men were 
merchants and kept up a brisk trade with Spain, 
England, and the West Indies. Furs, obtained in 
trade with Indians on the western frontier, and flour 
were the principal goods sent to Europe. Mining 
and manufacturing had not yet become as important 
in the middle colonies as those industries are to-day; 
but there was some mining of coal and iron, and 
a few people were employed in making ironware 
and paper. 

Even from the earliest times the people of the 


Climate 

and 

occupation 



250 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

middle colonies were thrifty. The Dutch in New 
Dutch York had comfortable farmhouses built of rough 
NewYork uncut stone, with gahle roofs covered with shingles. 

The gable ends faced the street usually. At each 
side of the roof rose wide chimneys. Light came 
through windows that had several small panes of 


Kitchen in Colonial Mansion 

glass in each sash. The front door was in two parts, 
the upper part having a brass or iron knocker with 
which a person might announce himself. 

Inside these houses gave a feeling of roomy com¬ 
fort. The ceilings were low, but the rooms were 
large. In some, the fireplace took up nearly the 
whole of one side of the house. By the fireplace 






LIFE IN THE COLONIES 


251 


stood a shovel and tongs, andirons and fender, all of 
polished brass, with a pile of logs near by ready to 
make a warm fire. Above the fireplace, which was 
often decorated with fancy tiles, was a rack of long 
pipes which the good man of the house often took 
down for a friendly smoke when his friends came to 
visit him. 

The floors of the kitchen-sitting room and of the 
best room were strewn with white sand swept into 
odd patterns. On the kitchen walls hung tin pans 
and pewter vessels, while in the cupboard stood blue 
or brown china dishes, platters and bowls. 

Down in the cool cellar were bins of apples, po¬ 
tatoes, and turnips; barrels of cider and vinegar, 
of beef and salt pork; while butter, cheese, and lard 
stcod upon the shelves in tubs, and strings of sau¬ 
sages hung overhead. 

Outside the houses were well-kept gardens where Dutch 
Dutch women planted and tended the flowers jj^food 
they were so fond of. Fruits grew plentifully in 
the orchards, and there was always plenty of fish 
in the ponds and nuts in the forest. One writer of 
the time, whose eyes may have been bigger than his 
stomach, says that there were oysters many inches 
around and “ lobsters from four to six feet long.” 

Fine turtles were caught, and large wild turkeys were 
often shot in the woods, while delicious cranberries, 
raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries gave a 
finish to many a feast. 


252 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 



The Dutch knew also the pleasure of wearing good 
Dress clothes. When they were dressed up for Sundays 


or special occasions, the ladies wore dresses of rich 
cloth, silk, or satin in bright colors. The skirts 
were draped so as to show the petticoats, also of 


Making Candles in Colonial Times 







LIFE IN THE COLONIES 


£53 


rich material, which were worn beneath. On their 
heads, over hair carefully curled and powdered, 
they wore caps of colored silk or stiffly ruffled linen; 
and on their feet bright-colored stockings and low 
shoes. Diamond rings sparkled on their hands, 
while round their necks, or through their belts, hung 
gold chains attached to gold lockets, or on Sunday, 
to gold or silver bound Bibles or psalm books. 

New Amsterdam gentlemen were not behind the 
ladies in style. They wore long coats of colored 
broadcloth or black velvet, with wide lace-trimmed 
pockets at the sides, and two rows of large silver 
buttons down the front. Under these coats they 
wore embroidered waistcoats of bright-colored cloth 
or velvet. Knee breeches of velvet, silk stockings, 
and low shoes ornamented with silver buckles com¬ 
pleted their dress. Their soft, wide-brimmed felt 
hats had quite a jaunty look, the rim on one side 
being caught up against the crown. People who 
did not have much money dressed much more simply. 

The workingman wore a loose blouse and baggy 
knee breeches of homespun cloth, while the ordinary 
woman had a dress and petticoat of bright-colored 
cloth, and wore on her head a white muslin cap or 
a poke bonnet. 

The Dutch were fond of good eating and drinking, 
and kept holiday times with merry feasts. The Dutch 
playing of games added to the holiday fun. They 
also had spinning bees, house-raisings, corn huskings, 


Other 
middle 
colonies 
live simi¬ 
larly 


Punish¬ 

ments 


Education 


254 BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 

horse races, picnics, and balls. The custom of keep¬ 
ing St. Valentine’s Day and Easter, the jolly Santa 
Claus of Christmas, and the custom of making visits 
on New Year’s Day, are relics of old Dutch times. 

Indeed the occupations and mode of living of the 
people of New York are a fair sample of the way in 
which colonists lived in the middle colonies, except 
that among the Quakers of Pennsylvania both dress 
and amusements were of the simplest kind, their, 
severe religious ideas forbidding them to be either 
showy or very mirthful. 

Offenses against the law were few in the middle 
colonies, but the punishments, as in New England, 
were public. The stocks, the pillory, and the gallows 
were all used. Women who were common scolds 
were often put in a ducking stool and dipped into a 
river or pond till they were half drowned. 

Schools were not as numerous in the middle 
colonies as in New England. Some of the larger 
towns, like Philadelphia, had good public schools, and 
in New Jersey there were county schools. In New 
York common schools flourished under Dutch rule, 
each town supporting its school by public funds. 
The English, however, jealous of education under 
the care of the Dutch, suffered the schools to fall 
into neglect. Colleges fared better; and some of 
them, like Princeton and Rutgers in New Jersey, 
and Columbia (first called King’s) in New York, are 
among our best-known colleges to-day. 


LIFE IN THE COLONIES 


255 



Southern Colonies. — In the southern group of 

colonies, life was quite different from what it was in 

the others. There were but few cities and no large Plantation 

towns. Plantations were the rule. Upon these llfe a ? d oc ' 

^ cupations 

were planted tobacco or rice or indigo, the sale of in the south 
which made the planters rich. They employed 


Southern Colonial Mansion 

negro slaves to do the work, and they lived lives of 
ease, hunting, dancing, entertaining, and taking part 
in the political life of their colonies. 

The planters were men educated usually in Eng¬ 
land, where their sons in turn were sent for the same Education 
purpose. Virginia was the only southern colony to 
have a college, and this colony alone provided edu¬ 
cation for the common people, in parish schools. 





256 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


Homes The southern gentlemen lived usually in large 
houses with broad hallways and comfortable rooms. 
When tobacco was sent to England, the planter’s 
agent there was more than likely to be instructed to 



A Ball in Virginia in Washington’s Time 


send back furniture, silverware, glassware, crockery, 
and wines to make life comfortable in the manor 
Hospitality house. This luxury was often shared by strangers, 
for the planters were generous and hospitable. 

Dress Not only the houses of the southerners, but also 
their clothes, displayed their wealth. The planter^ 









LIFE IN THE COLONIES 


257 


on dress occasions wore satin coats, vests, and knee 
breeches, silk stockings, and silver-buckled shoes. 
They wore their hair long, tied in the back with 
ribbons and powdered. When driving out in their 
great coaches drawn by six horses, they wore three- 
cornered cocked hats, and in winter long velvet 
coats. The ladies dressed in rich brocades of silks 
or satins, with hoop skirts. They dressed their 
hair in puffs and in pompadour style and powdered 
it like the men. 

Farm products were much the same in Maryland 
as in Virginia; but further south rice, indigo, and 
turpentine were exported instead of tobacco. 

Besides the planters and the negro slaves there was 
another class in the south, the indentured white 
servants. For free passage from Europe they bound 
themselves to service for a period of years. These 
laborers, even when freed, often remained poor. 

Defects of Colonial Life. — But though life in the 
colonies may have been pleasant, we would probably 
not be satisfied with it in preference to that in our own 
time. Matches, bath tubs, electric light, trolleys, 
elevators, well-paved streets, steamboats, and a hun¬ 
dred other comforts that we enjoy were missing. Food 
was coarse, and luxuries were scarce. The few oranges 
and bananas that were brought from the warmer 
countries were only for the rich, and canned vege¬ 
tables and canned fruit were unknown. 

Roads were built in all the colonies, but they were 


Products 


Classes of 
people 


Comforts 

missing 


258 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


rough, and travel was slow and uncomfortable. 
Stages that ran between New York and Philadel- 
Traveling phia sometimes sank in the mud up to the hubs in 
difficult we j. wea ^j ier Passengers were often obliged to get 
out, and with fence rails help to move a coach out of 



Newark Stage for New-York. 

A FOUR HORSE STAGE -will have Archer Gif- 
ford's, in Newark , every morning (except Sunday) 
at half paft five o' clocks and will leave Povoles Hook at $ 
o'clock in the afternoon for Newark—This arrangement 
gives timefor doing hufinefs in the city , and the coolefi 
hours for travelling . Pajfengers choofing this conveyance 
may apply for feats to John Bond at A. Gifford's . 

i tf _ y. N. Cumming. 

Stagecoach in Colonial Times 

a rut. Mails were few and expensive, letters being 
sent from one city to another frequently at a cost 
of twenty-five cents each. So with all our added 
blessings we should feel happy that we are living in 
the twentieth century. 









LIFE IN THE COLONIES 


259 


WHAT TO KNOW 

In the middle colonies, the climate and soil permitted farming 
and cattle raising. There were also many merchants exporting 
flour and furs. The people were thrifty, and they enjoyed life. 

The Dutch houses were built of rough stone, with gable ends. 
Inside were low ceilings, large rooms, and big fireplaces ; the kitchen 
floor was strewn with white sand; the cellar was well stocked with 
good food. Fine gardens were cultivated. Fruits, berries, nuts, 
fish, turtles, and turkeys were plentiful. 

Dutch ladies powdered their hair and wore jewels and clothing 
of silk or satin. Men wore blouses or coats of broadcloth or 
velvet, and knee breeches of homespun, satin, or velvet. They 
were fond of good times. The dress and amusements of the 
Quakers were of the simplest kind. 

Stocks, pillory, gallows, and ducking stools were used. 

Schools were not so numerous or so good as they were in 
New England. Princeton, Rutgers, and Columbia colleges were 
founded. 

There were large plantations in the south on which tobacco, rice, 
and indigo were raised. Negro slaves did all the farm work. 
Southern planters lived in ease and luxury. 

The common people went to parish schools; most of the rich 
young men were educated in England. 

Southern planters were usually well-to-do and lived in luxury. 
They were hospitable, and spent much money in entertain¬ 
ing. 

Besides negro slaves there were many white indentured servants. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. How did men earn a living in the middle colonies? 

2. Describe a Dutch house. Mention some good things the 
Dutch colonists used to eat. 

3. How did the Dutch ladies and men dress? 

4. How did the Quakers differ from the Dutch in their mode 
of life ? 


260 


BEGINNINGS OF COLONIZATION 


5. What punishments were used in the middle colonies ? 

6. Tell about education in those colonies. 

7. How did the planters live in the south ? 

8. What plantation products were raised there? What 
class of people did the work ? 

LESSON XLIV. REVIEW. 

Review lessons from XXXV to XLIII, inclusive, 
using the summaries and questions at the end of 
each lesson. Attention should be given to the more 
important facts only. 

In a composition lesson write from outline about 
one of the following: 

1. The Landing of the Pilgrims. 

2. The Founding of Providence. 

3. Penn’s Treaty with the Indians. 

4. The First Settlement at St. Mary’s. 

5. A Southern Planter. 

SUGGESTION 

If desired, a further general review of the history of the grade 
may be made by the use of the pictures and maps or by means 
of topics, using the paragraph headings throughout the book. 


PART II. CIVICS 


LESSON I 

Food. — In order to live, people must eat. In a 
big city, like New York, vast quantities of food are 
sold every day. This food is offered for sale in 
thousands of stores of various kinds, such as grocery 
stores, bakeries, butcher shops, and markets. These 
are usually near people’s homes, so that they may be 
handy to the customers who need to buy fruits, 
bread, meats, vegetables, and other provisions. 

But if we visit the country within easy reach of 
the city, we find no vast fields of grain, no immense 
herds of cattle, and no large orchards. Where, 
then, does all the food for the city come from? 
A good answer would be “ From most of our own 
states and from many foreign lands ”; for, in our 
city stores, we can find articles of food from various 
countries. We import tea and rice from India, 
China, and Japan. We get coffee from Brazil in 
South America; sugar from Cuba; meats from 
Argentina in South America, as well as from the 
central and western parts of our own country. 
Some fruits come long distances; bananas, for 
example, come from Central America; dates and 
261 


Great 

amount 

needed 


Distance it 
is brought 


262 


CIVICS 


Carting 


Necessity 
for care 
and clean¬ 
liness 


figs from Asia; lemons from Italy; oranges from 
our states of Florida and California. The food 
products which spoil most quickly, such as milk, 
eggs, and fresh vegetables, usually come short dis¬ 
tances, from the near-by farms of New York or of 
neighboring states. 

When the food reaches the city, it is unloaded 
from the cars or ships and moved on trucks or wagons 
to storehouses of wholesale dealers. Eggs, poultry, 
and other perishable foods are put into cold storage 
and kept there until sold to small dealers. From the 
warehouse to the small dealer the food must be carted 
again, and the cost of carting it each time adds to its 
price. One wholesale grocery firm in the City of 
New York has nine warehouses, each one at a differ¬ 
ent point in the city. Often the groceries for a single 
order of a retail dealer have had to be collected from 
three or four of these storehouses. Carting is espe¬ 
cially difficult in winter, when snow may delay traffic. 
Nevertheless the people of the city seldom have to 
suffer from late deliveries. 

Much of our food comes packed in boxes or cans 
or bags, and is thus protected from dust and dirt. 
But fruits and vegetables are usually exposed to 
dust and flies; and therefore we should wash all 
such articles of food before we eat them. Flies 
carry on their sticky feet the germs of many diseases 
dangerous to man. These disease germs are left 
on any food the flies light upon; and unless we keep 


CITY PROTECTION FROM SPOILED FOOD 263 


our food well covered, or else kill the flies, we must 
suffer from the diseases which they spread. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Food is sold in thousands of stores in the City of New York. 
This food comes from various countries. Some food products, 
as eggs and milk, come from near-by places. Food of this kind is 
put in cold storage until needed. The cartage of food adds greatly 
to its cost. Food must be protected from exposure to dust, dirt, 
and flies. Disease germs are carried on the sticky feet of flies. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Why are there so many food stores in the City of New 
York ? Why are these stores located near people’s homes ? 

2. What are some of the articles of food used? Where do 
those you have named come from ? 

3. How are these food products brought to the city ? 

4. When food reaches the city, where is it taken? How? 

5 . How does carting affect the price of food? 

6. Why should food be carefully covered and packed? 


LESSON II 

City Protection from Spoiled Food. — We are of 

course interested in learning where our food comes 
from, how it is handled, and how its cost may be 
brought as low as possible. But a question that 
concerns us more is whether our food is fresh and 
pure. Our city’s Board of Health answers this 
question for us. Health Board inspectors are always 
on the watch for impure food, which they seize and 
destroy. If need be, they have dealers that sell bad 
food arrested and punished by the courts. Scheming 


Food 

inspectors 


Impure 

food 


264 


CIVICS 


Tainted 

food 


Spoiled 

food 


Watchful 
care of 
food 


manufacturers have been known to sell impure food. 
Some so-called chocolate candy has been found to 
be colored with brown paint instead of with chocolate. 
Chopped meat and sausages have sometimes con¬ 
tained poisons used to preserve them. Inspectors 
have had to seize spoiled food which had become 
tainted simply through the filthy condition of rail¬ 
roads or storage stations or of warehouses where it 
had been stored. Fruit left in the sun at railroad 
stations has often begun to rot before reaching a 
market. Eggs shipped under bad conditions, or 
stored in warm freight houses, have often become 
spoiled before reaching a buyer. Some time ago a 
shipload of potatoes brought here from Scotland be¬ 
came wet while being loaded on the ship. When they 
reached America, they were so badly decayed that the 
whole cargo had to be destroyed. Canned goods, 
too, often spoil because air gets into the cans or be¬ 
cause the goods were bad before they were packed. 

But the ‘ever-watchful inspectors try to protect 
us from these and other unwholesome foods. Day 
in and day out the Board of Health workers watch 
not only the wharves and railroad stations where our 
food is unloaded, but also the places where food is 
prepared or sold. Slaughterhouses where cattle are 
killed, meat markets, bakeries, groceries, restaurants, 
railroad depots, pushcarts, open-air stands for the 
sale of fruit, candy, fresh vegetables, fish, and other 
foods, and many other places are all under the watch- 


CITY PROTECTION FROM SPOILED FOOD 265 


ful eye of the Board. In one year inspectors seized 
and destroyed twenty-four million pounds of bad 
food. This quantity of food would fill a train of 
cars stretching from the Battery to the upper end of 



FruJt Stand 


Manhattan Island, a distance of about fourteen miles. 

It was fortunate for the welfare of the city that Saving 
all this spoiled and impure food was destroyed, destroyed 
But much of it could have been saved if it had been 
brought here more directly and more quickly from 
farms, orchards, and factories. Besides, there should 
be large markets in our city where food could be 
promptly and carefully received and stored. 




































266 


CIVICS 


Expense of 
inspection 


Who pays 
for it 


One of our chief problems is to lessen the great 
amount of handling that food must undergo before 
it reaches our tables. Formerly some of it was 
handled as often as ten times between places it 
came from and our homes. The use of motor trucks 
to carry all kinds of goods is doing much to cut down 
the handling of food. Motor trucks now travel 

from farm to farm 
through the coun¬ 
try districts col¬ 
lecting vegetables 
which they deliver 
directly to city 
produce dealers. 
Other motor 
trucks deliver 
the vegetables to 
retail stores. This 
is done with so 
little loss of time 
between the farm and the home that the goods do 
not get a chance to spoil. 

The protection the health officers give by prevent¬ 
ing the sale of bad food, all citizens help to pay for. 
For they pay rent to house owners, who in turn pay 
taxes to the city. With part of the tax money the 
city supports the Board of Health, and also the courts 
which punish persons who sell spoiled or impure 
foods. 



Motor Truck 



DUTIES OF CITIZENS TOWARD FOOD 267 


WHAT TO KNOW 

Our chief concern about our food should be its purity. The 
Board of Health tries to prevent the sale of spoiled food. Food 
is sometimes colored with injurious substances, sometimes spoiled 
while being shipped, and is sometimes spoiled when packed: Board 
of Health Inspectors seize bad food, and destroy it. Much of this 
food could be saved if it were sent to the city more directly and 
quickly. 

There should be large central markets in our city for receiving food 
promptly; these would help to save food also, and lessen its han¬ 
dling. Motor trucks carry food more swiftly than horse-drawn 
wagons. It is delivered before it can spoil. In paying rent or 
taxes, we help to pay for the food inspection by the Board of Health. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. How are citizens protected from impure foods? 

2. How do some manufacturers spoil food? Why does food 
spoil on the way to our city ? To our homes ? 

3. Where do health inspectors look for impure food ? 

4. How may food be kept from spoiling in shipment ? 

5. Why should motor trucks be used for carting food? 

6. How do we help to pay for food inspection ? 


LESSON III 

Duties of Citizens toward Food. — While we can¬ 
not help in the actual inspection of food, we can Dangers 
keep an eye on the persons who sell it to us. We tollealtl1 
can take care that they give us food wholesome in 
quality; that they keep it in clean glass-covered 
cases or dishes and in clean stores. Cakes that are 
kept uncovered in grocery stores or bakeries, on 
counters or in windows, gather dust and furnish 


268 


CIVICS 


To demand resting places for flies and other insects. Meat 
service ex P ose( l t° heat, dirt, and flies in butcher shops or 
delicatessen stores becomes unfit to eat. Candy, 
cake, or fruit sold on stands is apt unless carefully 
covered to spread germs of disease. 

Another danger to health is the unclean custom 
that many shopkeepers have of handling the food 
purchased by one customer after making change 
for another. In this way disease may be conveyed 



Model Grocery Store 


to any one eating such food; for, since money is 
in constant use, it is often laden with dangerous 
germs. 

We can do much toward forcing merchants to 
sell no dirty or disease-bearing food by refusing 
to trade with them unless they sell clean food. 
Children should be careful to buy only such candy 






DUTIES OF CITIZENS TOWARD FOOD 269 


as is kept under glass or is wrapped in wax paper. 
No one should drink soda water, or other drinks, 
from carelessly washed glasses, nor should any one 
use public drinking cups. 

It is well, also, to be sure where the ice we use comes 
from ; for if it has been cut in rivers or lakes into 
which sewers empty, it is likely to cause disease 
when put into drinking water. Fish, oysters, and 
clams, handled carelessly, may become tainted. 
Then, if eaten, they 
may cause illness or 
death. 

But a matter that 
concerns almost 
every one is the col¬ 
lection of dirt * on 
bottles. containing 
milk. When de¬ 
livered, such bottles 
are dirty on the 
outside from being 
packed, handled, or 

left standing in un- Inspection of Milk 

clean places. The 
upper part of a bottle is therefore likely to have 
germs upon it, and so that part should be washed 
with clean water before the bottle is opened, in order 
that the milk may pour out over a clean surface. 
Any one who fails to take this trouble runs the risk 



Care in the 
use of milk 















270 


CIVICS 


Bad fruit 
not cheap 


To report 
spoiled or 
impure 
food 


Buyers also 
must keep 
food clean 


of getting some dreadful disease such as tuberculosis 
or typhoid fever. 

Often we are tempted to buy overripe fruit or 
decayed vegetables because they are low-priced. 
We should remember, however, that such food, being 
injurious to health, is really more costly than goods 
in fine condition, which sell for more. Fruits and 
other articles of food unfit to eat should not be sold, 
but should be thrown away. When boys and girls 
find a dealer selling spoiled or impure food, they 
should report the matter to the Board of Health by 
letter, or else tell some one who will write for them; 
in this way they may help to preserve the health of a 
whole neighborhood. 

But we too should take care of our food. When . 
it comes into our homes we should keep it under 
cover and, if need be, on ice. It is no safer to leave 
it open to dust, flies, or heat at home than in stores 
or streets. Especially is care necessary in houses 
not provided with window screens and ice boxes. 
Many people have brought disease upon themselves 
because they did not heed oft-repeated warnings 
about the care of food. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Dealers in food products should protect them from dirt and 
flies. We should not trade with dealers that do not protect then- 
goods. Food handled by a storekeeper after he has had money 
in his hands may spread disease. Children should not buy candy 
unless it has been kept under glass or been wrapped up. They 


WATER 


271 


should drink soda water from clean glasses only and avoid public 
drinking cups. 

People ought not to buy tainted fish, overripe fruit, or decayed 
vegetables. If eaten, such food may cause serious illness. Ice from 
filthy lakes or streams is dangerous to health. Milk bottles should 
be washed off before being opened. Children should report dealers 
who sell spoiled food. It is our duty as well as the duty of store¬ 
keepers to protect food. At home we should keep food under cover 
or in an ice box. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. What kinds of food are often exposed to flies and dirt? 

2. How can we help to make storekeepers take care of the 
food they sell ? 

3. Why are public drinking cups dangerous? How may ice 
be dangerous to health? 

4. What kinds of food must we be careful not to buy ? Why ? 

5. What should you do if a dealer sells you spoiled food ? 

6. How may we keep food in good condition in our homes ? 


LESSON IV 

Water. — Have you ever watched the rain coming 
down in torrents on a day on which you had planned 
to go on an excursion or a picnic? Perhaps your 
disappointment led you to think the rain a nuisance, 
and you may have wished every day to be clear. 
But thoughtful children know how necessary water 
is for drinking, for cleaning, for washing clothes, 
and for other household purposes. They know 
therefore that rainy days should be as welcome as 
sunny ones. For it is the rain that forms the lakes 
and rivers from which our water comes. We seldom 
consider how much we need water daily because 


Need of 
water 




CIVICS 


to obtain it in our houses we have simply to turn a 
faucet. When the water pipes are being repaired, 
the water may be shut off for several hours. For¬ 
getting that the water supply has been stopped, first 
one member of the family, and then another, turns 
the faucet, but the water does not run. Very soon 
all realize that people can go but a short time with¬ 
out water, and all feel relieved when the stream 
flows again. 

Water Supply of the City of New York. — Water 

is necessary to the life of every one of us; so 
you see why our water supply is one of the city’s 
chief concerns. Indeed, to have fresh water enough 
for the inhabitants has been a problem since the 
earliest settlement of New York. The water about 
the shores of the city is useless for household pur¬ 
poses because it is salt tidewater from the Atlantic 
Ocean. So when the Dutch settled here, one of the 
first things they did was to dig wells. 

Where the city prison, the Tombs, is now located 
Earliest on Center Street, there was a body of fresh water 
theCityof known as the Collect Pond. This also furnished 
New York the young settlement with water for many years. 

But finally houses were built near the pond and its 
waters became unfit for use. So the water was 
drained off and the hollow was filled up. Till the year 
1800, the people of New York relied on wells alone 
for their water supply. Then a water company built 
a reservoir and water works in the City of New York. 


NEW YORK CITY WATER SUPPLY 


273 



These works, however, furnished only well water, 
and they did not supply water enough. Thirty 
years later the city was obliged to begin piping 
water from the Croton River, a stream that is about 
forty miles north of the city. 

In June, 1842, Croton water was first let into a Croton 
reservoir at 42d Street and 5th Avenue, located supply 


Croton Reservoir and Spillway 

where the Public Library now stands. Up to 1917, 
the Croton, Bronx, and Byram rivers supplied Man¬ 
hattan and the Bronx. Brooklyn and Queens ob- Queens 
tained all their water from streams and wells located f^fg^ppiy 
on Long Island. Richmond drew its water from 





274 


CIVICS 


local wells owned by private companies. Water 
companies still furnish part of the water for Brook¬ 
lyn and Queens, pumping it through pipes or through 
tunnels called aqueducts. 

Another supply of water, introduced into the city 
Catskill in 1917, is the Catskill system, supplying all boroughs, 
supply jj- come s from four creeks, Esopus, Schoharie, Ron- 
dout, and Catskill, located from 80 to 100 miles from 
New York. These creeks drain nearly 500 square 
miles of land, an area one and a half times as large as 
Greater New York. This water is brought here in 
a great water pipe called the Catskill aqueduct. 
This huge pipe is twelve feet — in some places more 
— in diameter. Just above West Point the water is 
carried under the Hudson River through a large pipe 
called a siphon. The Catskill Aqueduct supplies 
water to all the boroughs of the city. The water 
for Queens and Brooklyn is carried from the Bronx 
in large pipes under the East River; and that for 
Richmond passes from Brooklyn in similar pipes, 
under the Narrows. 

In order to have water enough always for our city, 
large supplies are stored at different points along the 
Reservoirs aqueduct in huge basins called reservoirs. Those 
nearest to the heart of the city are: the reservoir 
in Central Park, Manhattan; the one near Prospect 
Park, Brooklyn; one in Queens, and one in Rich¬ 
mond. From these city reservoirs, the water is 
carried through the streets, under the asphalt and 


NEW YORK CITY WATER SUPPLY 


27 5 


stone pavements, in more than a thousand miles of 
pipes, or mains. These mains, joined in a straight 
line, would reach from the City of New York to How v 
Chicago. From the mains, smaller pipes bring the ^omes 
water into our houses. If you go down into the 
cellar of your house you may see pipes coming 
through the wall. One of these pipes brings in water 
from the street main. The cellar pipe connects with 
other house pipes which lead through walls and floors 
to the hot and cold water faucets in the house. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Rain gives us our water supply. We feel the need of water 
most when the supply is shut off. The early Dutch settlers of our 
city dug wells for water because the river water was salty. About 
the year 1800 a water company gave the City of New York a supply 
of water. This poor supply was given up for Croton water in 1842. 

Croton, Byram, and Bronx rivers help supply Manhattan and the 
Bronx with water. Brooklyn, Queens, and Richmond have their 
own sources of water. The Catskill water system supplies all bor¬ 
oughs. Water is carried through the streets by a thousand miles 
of mains. All houses draw their water from these mains. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. Why is rain necessary ? 

2. How did the early Dutch settlers get water? Why could 
not the water of the Hudson and East rivers be used ? 

3. When did the City of New York begin to get Croton water ? 

4. What water supply has been added since 1916? Where 
does this water come from? Tell how it is brought to the 
different boroughs. 

5. What are reservoirs ? 

6. Tell how water is carried from the city reservoirs to the 
faucets in our houses. 


How paid 
for 


The water 
meter 


Why water 
is cheap 


£76 CIVICS 

LESSON V 

Cost of Water Supply. — We do not buy water 

as we do food, paying separately for eacli day’s 
supply. We pay for water by the year. Out of 
rent which the landlord receives, he pays a water tax 
to the city. The owner of a private house generally 
pays a fixed water rent, laid according to the width of 
his house and its height in stories. In buildings in 
which water is used for business purposes, the Com¬ 
missioner of Water Supply may require water 
meters. These show the number of cubic feet of 
water used. Water is charged for at the rate of ten 
cents per hundred cubic feet. If no meter is used, 
the owner of a business pays a tax fixed by the 
Department of Water Supply. 

Water is cheap because the city owns the streams 
from which the water is drawn. Then, too, although 
the water system of the City of New York has 
aqueducts, reservoirs, pump stations, and miles of 
pipes, not many workmen are required to attend 
to them. The cost of the water used daily in our 
city is less than one cent for each inhabitant. The 
city has, however, had to spend much money in 
buying the land about the streams which supply 
the water, in building the reservoirs, aqueducts, and 
pumping stations, and also in laying the water 
pipes. The Catskill system has cost the city one 
hundred seventy-five million dollars. It is of course 


COST OF WATER SUPPLY 


277 


important that water be cheap because even the 
poorest people should get as much as they need 
without being burdened with heavy costs for it. 

The uses of water are so many that it is easy to 
see how necessary it is. In the home there can be no Uses of 
washing or bathing without it, no cooking requiring water 
water, and no sanitary plumbing. No business which 
requires steam machinery could be carried on without 
water for making steam. The merciful work of our 
hospitals requires water for use in bathing wounds 
and in performing many other acts which help to save 
the lives of the sick. One of the chief uses of water 
is to put out fires, thus saving thousands of lives 
and millions of dollars each year. Water is also 
used to sprinkle the hot pavements in summer and 



is often used for street cleaning to carry dirt into 
the sewers. 











278 


CIVICS 


Importance 
of purity 


Importance 
of clean 
water 


Not to 
waste 
water 


Since every one of us uses water it is of the greatest 
importance that the water be pure and wholesome 
so that it may not spread disease and death. It is a 
great comfort to know that the Health Department 
and the Department of Water Supply test the city 
water every day to find out whether it contains 
disease germs. If it does, the health officials learn 
the cause, give the public warning of its condition, 
and take steps toward making it pure again. The 
city keeps inspectors who watch the streams from 
which the water comes, to prevent any one from 
building a stable near them or from fouling the 
water in any way. Thus the city sees to it that our 
water is pure when it reaches us. But we ourselves 
must be careful to put our drinking water into clean 
utensils so that it may be kept pure and wholesome. 
It is dangerous, for instance, to drink from a pail 
into which other people dip a common drinking cup, 
or to drink from a cup which others have used, with¬ 
out first washing it thoroughly, or to drink from a 
public drinking cup. In many public places individ¬ 
ual paper cups may be had that can be thrown away 
after being used. By following such health rules 
with regard to drinking water, the spread of disease 
and a possible cause of sickness may often be avoided. 

Duties of Citizens. — Although water is so cheap 
and plentiful, the city cannot afford to have it 
wasted. On account of the immense size of our city 
an enormous loss of water may be caused by many 


DUTIES OF CITIZENS 


279 


small leaks, or by waste. We should not allow water To stop 
to run away uselessly. We can do much to prevent leaks 
its waste. We can keep on hand washers to put 



into the faucets whenever these begin to leak. We 
can take care to close the faucet, when we have 
finished drawing water. We should be careful that 


























280 


CIVICS 


To report all leaks in water pipes are promptly attended to. 
leaks A n y pupil who sees a fire hydrant leaking, should 

tell the teacher, who will notify 
the Water Department, and the 
leak will be stopped. Waste of 
water means added expense to the 
taxpayers. It may also lower 
the supply of water in the reser¬ 
voirs so much that a water fam¬ 
ine may result in dry weather. 

Every child who desires to be 
a good citizen will help the city 
to save its water. But no one 
is expected to save water at the 
expense of cleanliness. On the 
contrary, every one should use 
Water Waste plenty of water for bathing, for 
washing, and for all other pur¬ 
poses of cleanness. Boys and girls should remember 
that clean bodies often mean healthy bodies. Habits 
of cleanliness will help to keep them well and happy 
through life. 



WHAT TO KNOW 

Water is paid for by taxes. Private houses generally have a 
fixed water rent which depends on their width and height in stories. 
Other buildings are usually provided with water meters. Sometimes 
a water tax is charged according to the kind of business in which 
water is used. Water is cheap because it comes in large quantities 
from streams owned by the city. Water costs less than a cent a day 
for each inhabitant of the City of New York. 




HOUSING OF THE PEOPLE 


281 


Water is used for washing, bathing, cooking, and cleaning; for 
making steam to run machinery; for putting out fires, for cleaning 
the streets. It is necessary to have pure water to drink. The Board 
of Health has our city water tested daily to see that it is pure. 
Water should not be wasted, but people should use enough for 
personal and household cleaning purposes. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. How does the city get the money to pay for the water 
supply ? 

2. How is the cost determined for each house? Why is 
water cheap ? 

3. What are some of the uses of water ? 

4. Why should care be taken to have water pure? 

5. How can we avoid disease when about to take a drink of 
water ? 

6. How can we help to stop the waste of water ? 

7. Why is it wrong to use too little water ? 


LESSON VI 

Review lessons from I to V, using summaries and 
questions at the end of each lesson. Give attention 
to the more important facts only. 

LESSON VII 

Housing of the People. — In a city like New York, 
which has over five million people, the task of prop¬ 
erly housing the inhabitants is a difficult one. In Light and 
crowded parts of the city large apartment houses air P robleir 
are built. It is not easy in such large buildings to 
give all the rooms equal light and air. 


282 


CIVICS 


Need of 
light, air, 
and clean¬ 
liness 


In former days laws about dwelling houses 
were not so strict. Landlords thought little of the 
comfort or safety of their tenants. Many of the 
rooms were dark, and but little fresh air could reach 
them. Not much thought was given to plumbing 
or to providing fire escapes. 

Moreover, the city kept growing. Many thousands 
of immigrants came to New York. Larger tene- 



Blocked-up Fire Escape 

escapes were narrow iron 
dangerous to climb at a 


ment houses were built, 
some as high as eight 
stories. Many had 
gloomy and ill-smelling 
halls, while in the apart¬ 
ments themselves the 
bedrooms were often dark 
and poorly ventilated. 
We all know that such 
rooms are breeding places 
of disease, and especially 
of tuberculosis. The 
stairs of these flats were 
often rickety and very 
dirty. Many times own¬ 
ers allowed cellars to be¬ 
come full of rubbish, and 
sometimes full of foul 
water or sewage. Fire 
ladders with tiny rungs, 
ny time. Some tenants 






HOUSING OF THE PEOPLE 


283 


blocked the fire escapes with rubbish and flower 
boxes. Sometimes these escapes were built in 
courts which had no exits at the bottom. In many 
houses there was no way to reach the roof when 
smoke and flame barred passage to the street. 

Thoughtful citizens saw that something should 
be done to protect the lives and health of the dwellers 
in tenement houses. So a Tenement House Com¬ 
mission was appointed. These men established the 
Tenement House Department, which began its work 
in January, 1902. 

At the head of this department there is a com¬ 
missioner appointed by the mayor. The depart¬ 
ment employs over five hundred persons, about 
two hundred and fifty of whom are tenement house 
inspectors. It costs the city over eight hundred 
thousand dollars a year. 

The law declares that a tenement is any house 
occupied by three or more families who live sepa¬ 
rately and cook their own meals in the house. In the 
greater city there are more than one hundred thou¬ 
sand tenements coming under this definition. It is 
easy to see that the larger part of the population 
of our city is protected by the tenement house law 
and not the poor only. This department prevents 
the building of high tenement houses, for tall 
houses on narrow streets shut out sun and air. It 
also decides on the kind and size of fire escapes, 
rooms, and hallways; it requires each tenement 


People pro¬ 
tected by- 
building 
laws 


284 


CIVICS 


building to have means of reaching the roof. Cellars 
must be waterproof and owners must keep them clean. 
Tenement house courts must be at least twenty- 
five feet long and half as wide, with a tunnel through 
the basement to allow a circulation of air through 
the court. No tenement to hold more than four 
families may now be built of wood. 

If the landlord of a tenement does not keep lights 
lit in the halls at night, or if fire escapes, roofs, 
cellars, and yards are not kept clear of rubbish, or if 
broken plumbing is not repaired, tenants may com¬ 
plain to the Tenement House Department. Such 
complaints will be investigated by inspectors and, 
if found to be true, the landlord will be told to do 
what the law requires. If he does not act promptly, 
he may be fined. The Tenement House Commis¬ 
sioner can order houses to be vacated if he finds 
them unfit for people to live in on account of conta¬ 
gious diseases, bad plumbing, poor light, lack of 
ventilation, or faulty construction. 

Duties of Citizens. — Even though the city tries 
to help tenants so much, many of them will not do 
To keep their share. They throw rubblish on roofs, or into 
leiuTand ce ^ ars an d a ^ r shafts, instead of having it removed 
safe by the Street Cleaning Department. They keep 
household articles on fire escapes, thus putting the 
lives of other persons in danger in case of fire. 
Such people are selfish. Tenants should keep their 
apartments in good condition. They should not need- 


DUTIES OP CITIZENS 


285 


lessly soil painted woodwork, or papered walls, and 
should be careful to throw refuse into the proper cans. 
Neither should they use water fixtures so roughly 
as to put them out of order; for such carelessness 
means needless expense to the owner and inconven¬ 
ience to the other tenants in the house. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

To house the people of the City of New York many tall tenement 
houses have been built. It is a great task to build such large 
houses so as to give each room sufficient light and air. Years 
ago no attention was paid to ventilation, cleanliness, or sanitary 
plumbing in building houses. Proper fire escapes were not built. 
In this way the health and safety of the whole city were threatened. 
In 1902 , the Tenement House Department began its work. So 
to-day new tenement houses are well ventilated, clean, and safe; 
old ones must be made so. Tenants may complain to the Tenement 
House Department if landlords do not keep houses healthful, 
clean, and safe. It is the duty of tenants to keep their apartments 
in good condition. Good tenants are a help to other tenants, to 
the landlord, and to themselves. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. How can the builders of large tenements look out for the 
health of the tenants ? 

2. Why are dark tenements especially unhealthful places to 
live in ? 

3. What are the duties of the Tenement House Department ? 
What is meant by a tenement ? 

4. How must tenements now be built ? 

5. In what cases may tenants complain to the Tenement 
House Department ? 

6. How do some tenants damage their apartments? 

7. What can tenants do to help landlords and other tenants ? 


286 


CIVICS 


LESSON VIII 

Gas and Its Uses. — You may have heard the 
story of how Abraham Lincoln, when a boy, studied 
by the light of a log fire. If we had to study by 
such a light, we should complain that the flickering 
flame injured our eyes. Perhaps we should be little 
better satisfied with candles, or with the kerosene 
lamps used in the middle of the last century, and 
still found in many homes, especially in the country. 
Those oil lamps were thought to be very brilliant 
compared with candles. But to-day most people 
will not rent a house or an apartment unless it is 
fitted with gas or electric light fixtures. 

The use of gas in our houses has become so com- 
Where gas mon that we light it or turn it off with indifference, 
comes from however, to know where gas comes 

from and how it is made. Down in the cellar of 
your home you will see an iron pipe coming in 
through one of the walls, perhaps near another iron 
pipe that brings in the water. This pipe is a gas 
pipe. It connects with another one in the street. 
The pipe in the street is much larger than the house 
pipe, because all the houses on the block draw their 
gas from the large street pipe, called a gas main. 
Gas mains, like water mains, lie under the asphalt 
Gas pipe or stone pavements all over the city. Water pipes 
an< main l ea< ^ ^ack to reservoirs, and reservoirs to aqueducts, 
and aqueducts to the distant streams which supply 


GAS AND ITS USES 


287 



the water. But gas pipes lead us back no farther 
than the gas houses and tanks within the city 
limits. 

Many of you have seen the huge tanks in which Gas tanks 
gas is stored. They are immense iron cylinders, 
usually painted red or black. Each is inclosed by 
an iron framework. These tanks hold the gas be- 


Gas Tanks 

fore it is sent through the mains, just as water is 
held in reservoirs. 

Gas used to be made directly from coal. The gas 
was obtained by heating coal in the gas works. 








288 


CIVICS 


How gas As the coal became very hot, it gave up the gas 
is made was j n ft Then the coal changed from a 

shiny substance to a dull substance called coke, 
which was used afterwards for heating, much the 
same as coal. But most of the gas now used in 
the City of New York, and in other large cities, is 
taken from steam and mixed with other gas obtained 
from petroleum (coal oil). The mixture is called 
carbureted water gas. 

The use of coal gas in this city began about 
First use ninety years ago. At first people were afraid of gas. 
of gas 'phey thought that its use would lead to fearful 
explosions and to loss of life and property. But a 
gas company was formed whose president lighted 
his own house with gas and showed people that it 
was harmless. Then others were willing to burn it, 
and soon gaslight became common. 

The amount of gas burned by consumers is told 
Gas meter by means of gas meters or gas measurers. A gas 
meter is a small sheet-iron box having on the front 
three dials that look somewhat like clock faces. All 
the gas going through the gas pipes also goes through 
the meter. The three dials show the amount of 
gas burned; and once a month a man from the gas 
company comes to read the meter. He reports 
the amount used, and the bill soon arrives. 

Uses for Gas is used chiefly for cooking, lighting, and heat- 
gas ing. Gas water heaters are to be seen in many 
houses. Other gas appliances are gas ranges for 


GAS AND ITS USES 


289 


cooking; gas irons for ironing; gas stoves for 
laundry work; gas heaters, gas steam heaters, and 
gas “logs” for heat. 

An enormous amount of gas is burned in the city. 

About thirty gas works are required to supply the Where 
gas needed for all the tenements and private houses. used 
Some years ago families cooked their meals on coal 



Inside a Gas Plant 

ranges but now gas stoves are used for cooking in 
nearly all kitchens. Coal dust and ashes brought a 
great deal of dirt into the houses. The use of gas, 
however, has made it much easier to keep our homes 
clean. Electricity is steadily displacing gas lighting 
and heating. 






290 


CIVICS 


Where it 
comes from 


WHAT TO KNOW 

Candles and oil lamps were once used in our city for lighting 
purposes. Then gas was used in most of the homes. Now, how¬ 
ever, electricity is rapidly replacing gas as a means of lighting. 
Gas comes from gas works to the burners in our houses through 
mains and small pipes. These mains lie under nearly all streets. 
Gas may be made from coal. When coal loses its gas it is called 
coke. This may be burned the same as coal. Gas is now often 
made from steam and petroleum. It has been used for about ninety 
years. It is measured by gas meters. The amount used fixes 
the amount of the bills. Gas is used for cooking, lighting, and 
heating. Gas cooking ranges have taken the place of coal stoves in 
nearly all city homes. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. What kinds of light did people use before gas was dis¬ 
covered ? 

2. Why was it better to use gas ? What is now replacing gas ? 

3. Of what is gas made ? 

4. How does it come into our houses? 

5. By what is gas measured ? Describe the gas measurer. 

6. What are some of the uses of gas ? 

7. Why are gas ranges now used rather than coal stoves ? 


LESSON IX 

Electric Lights. — Electric street lamps are com¬ 
mon now, but they were unknown here thirty years 
ago. The electric current is produced in large build¬ 
ings called power houses. Electric light wires are 
laid under the streets in pipes, like gas pipes. But 
electric light costs a little more than gaslight. The 
electric incandescent lamp gives the most com- 


ELECTRIC LIGHTS 


291 



mon example of the use of electricity. Perhaps 

your schoolroom has a group of electric bulb lamps, incandes- 

These light when a button on the wall is pressed. centlam P s 


The pressure moves a switch, or tiny strip of brass, 
which then connects the two wires leading to each 
lamp. Through these wires flows the electric current 
which turns into light in the glass bulb. Electric 
light is a convenient form of light, for no matches are 
needed. People are sometimes killed by inhaling 
escaping gas. Electric lighting avoids this danger. 

The electric current consumed is measured by Electric 
a meter somewhat like a gas meter. Electric fans, meter 


Electric Power House 








CIVICS 


Who in¬ 
vented it 


Growing 
use of 
telephones 


electric irons, electric coffee pots, electric bread 
toasters, and many other appliances are now made. 
When the electric current becomes so cheap that it 
can be used in every house, many home duties that 
are now burdens to the tired housekeeper will become 
pleasures. 

The Telephone. — In many homes and offices 
there is a helper even more wonderful than gas or 
electric lighting. Did you ever think what a strange 
thing it is to talk over a wire to some one far off ? 
Or to hear the reply so plainly that you can tell 
who is speaking? The telephone makes both of 
these things possible. 

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the 
telephone. Few received it seriously. There were 
no telephone operators then, or switchboards. In 
1877 the first telephone line in the City of New York 
was strung. It stretched for five miles from South 
Brooklyn to 81 John Street, Manhattan, and ran over 
the Brooklyn Bridge. 

In the past forty years the use of the telephone 
has grown wonderfully. About the year 1880, only 
two hundred and fifty people had telephones in the 
city. To-day there are over 400,000 telephone sub¬ 
scribers in New York. 

More than 1,000,000 telephones are in use in this 
city to-day, one for every five persons of the popu¬ 
lation. Over four and a quarter million mes¬ 
sages are sent daily over five million miles of wire. 


THE TELEPHONE 


293 


New York has more telephones than any other city, 
and more than all of those used in the cities of 
London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, and Petrograd. 

The telephone system is not owned by the city, Who owns 
but by a private company, the New York Telephone 
Company. 



Telephone Central Exchange 


City telephone wires are now usually combined The wires 
into cables that pass through underground tubes, or 
conduits. Sometimes telephone wires are carried 
by poles above the street and along fences. The 
wires from every telephone run to a building or a 





294 


CIVICS 


Exchanges 


Value of 
the tele¬ 
phone 


One should 
not use 
telephones 
needlessly 


loft, called an exchange , where by means of a switch¬ 
board they can be connected with other wires. 
As late as 1885 there was but one exchange in 
this city. Now there are one hundred fifty ex¬ 
changes, and about twenty thousand girls attend 
to the switchboards that enable us to telephone to 
persons in any borough. Many of our cities are 
connected by telephone wires with these exchanges. 

From our city telephone wires are carried on poles 
over the country. Business men can now talk to 
customers in San Francisco, three thousand miles 
away. They can say in a minute what once they 
were obliged to say in letters that took days to go by 
rail. Think of the time thus saved in business! 
Think of the precious minutes saved in calling an 
ambulance, or the harm prevented by the swiftness 
with which firemen or policemen can be summoned! 

You will easily see that the telephone is as neces¬ 
sary as gas or electricity, and even more so; for it 
adds quite as much to the joy of living and perhaps 
more to the convenience and speed of carrying on 
business. Yet there are people who use the tele¬ 
phone too much. Some order things by telephone 
when it would pay them better to go in person and 
buy what they want. Other people waste much 
time needlessly in small talk over the telephone. 
We ought not to waste money or mak^ unneces¬ 
sary calls just because the telephone happens to 
be handy. 




THE TELEPHONE 


295 


WHAT TO KNOW 


Electric light wires lie under almost all streets. Many houses 
are provided with wires for electric light. The commonest example 
of the use of electricity is the incandescent lamp. Electric light is 
more convenient and safer than gaslight. Electric current is 
measured by a meter. Electricity has many uses in the home. 
There are electric fans, irons, coffee-pots, and indeed more ap¬ 
pliances than there are for gas. 

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. The 
number of telephones in the City of New York has grown in about 
forty years from two hundred fifty to more than one million. Our 
city has more telephones than any other city in the United States. 
Telephone cables are laid in underground conduits, or are carried 
by poles above ground. In New York they run to nearly one hun¬ 
dred fifty exchanges, where connections are made with all parts 
of the city and with other cities of the United States. Telephones 
are of great value to business men who by their means may talk 
with people in distant cities. 


QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 



1. Tell where you have seen electric lights. Where does the 
electric current in our houses come from ? 

2. How is electricity measured ? Why is electric light better 
than gaslight ? 

3. What are some of the uses of electric current in the home ? 

4. Who invented the telephone? When? Tell where the 
first telephone in the City of New York was laid. 

5. For what is the telephone used ? Show that many people 
use it. 

6. How many telephones are in use to-day in our city ? About 
how many operators are there ? 

7. WTiere are the telephone wires? How many exchanges 
are needed in the City of New York? 

8. Give an instance of the great value of the telephone. 


296 


CIVICS 


LESSON X 

How dif- The Sewer. — Still other large pipes lie under our 
“7 y s t ree i s > — ^e sewer pipes. These are much larger 
pipes than gas pipes or water pipes. The reason for their 
greater size is easily seen when the uses of sewer 
Use of pipes are considered. In the first place every house 
sewer connec t e d with a street sewer which carries away 
the waste water. It also carries away the water 
from the streets whenever the gutters are flooded. 
How sew- Under certain city streets are large sewer pipes 
carried which empty their sewage into rivers and bays 
away that lie next to the borough — the East River, the 
Hudson River, the Harlem River, Jamaica Bay, 
and New York Bay. The smaller sewers, carrying 
sewage from houses and gutters, empty into these 
large ones. 

The City of New York has over two thousand 
Repair of miles of streets, and under all lie sewers. To see 
sewers these are kept in repair, and that new ones are 

built when necessary, are among the duties of the 
borough presidents. The sewers are paid for by 
How paid sums of money called assessments , laid equally on 
for all owners of property, since all houses have sewer 
connections. Until each owner pays, the expense is 
borne by the city’s street improvement fund. 

Expense to the City of Public Service. — For the 
care and oversight of the departments the city needs 
much money. Money is not the greatest thing in 


CARE OF PUBLIC PROPERTY 


297 

the world, yet none can live long without it. And 

just as a family needs money for its support, so the What the 

city, like a large family, must have money in order ^itedti 

to look after the welfare of its citizens. Think of zens 

our great water system, our sewerage system, our 

ever watchful and able fire and police departments, 

our well-lighted and well-paved streets, our thousands 

of city employees, our schools, public libraries, parks, 

and hospitals. Where does the money come from 

to maintain all a city’s activities ? 

It comes from the land owners of the city, who 
pay money called taxes upon their real estate. It How paid 
comes also from taxes on personal property, such as for 
household goods, jewelry, money in banks, horses, 
carriages, automobiles. Any person owning personal 
property worth over a thousand dollars must pay 
taxes on it. The city’s money comes from water 
rents which landlords pay for the use of city water 
in our houses; from money paid for different kinds 
of licenses ; and finally it comes from taxes on certain 
forms of business such as banks, the liquor business, 
and on street railroad companies. The ordinary Citizens 
citizen by paying taxes on his real and personal ^e^city’s 
property does his share toward the city support, support 
All persons who pay rent really help to support the 
city; for part of the rent money is paid out by the 
landlord in the form of taxes. 

Care of Public Property. — As public property 
is bought with money from taxes, it is plain that we 


298 


CIVICS 


all share in the ownership of it. It is our property — 
Why all the property of all citizens. Should we then care 
for it or should we try to destroy it ? For example, 
property asphalt pavements are public property. Now sup¬ 
pose boys build a bonfire on one of those pavements. 



Playground in a New York City Park 


Heat, as you know, was used in laying the pave¬ 
ment, and heat can destroy it. A small bonfire 
ruins, let us say, nine square feet of the pavement. 
Public property is thus destroyed. Who suffers? 
Your fathers and mothers and all of us. They and 
we have helped to pay for it, and certain boys have 
destroyed what all citizens have helped to buy. 
Are these boys good citizens? I know you will 
say they are not. 



































CARE OF PUBLIC PROPERTY 


299 


Again, let us suppose that a large number of people 
go to a park on Sunday. They swarm over the Care of 
well-kept grass, sit down and eat lunch upon it, the parks 
scatter papers and paper boxes about, pick flowers 
and tear off branches from bushes and trees. All 
the bushes and trees and grassy fields were paid for 
with public money. To destroy them is to waste 
it. Perhaps you will say that the people have a 
right to enjoy the parks. Yes, but to enjoy does not 
mean to destroy. We can use the public parks with¬ 
out covering them with paper and other refuse. All 
such litter should go into the barrels placed on the 
walks to receive it. And it is also possible to enjoy 
the beautiful flowers, shrubs, and trees without 
injuring them. For if many people injured our 
parks, these would soon be ruined. 

People usually value those things that have cost 
them time, effort, or money, and sometimes are 
careless with those that cost them nothing. So Care of 
pupils sometimes make marks on their school desks, p^ 01 sup 
and sometimes waste the paper given them or damage 
their books. They are not good citizens if they do 
these things. They waste public money and put a 
greater burden of expense on their parents and on 
all other taxpayers. A pupil who covers his books 
and handles them carefully, who uses no more paper, 
pens, or pencils than are necessary, and who does 
not injure the school furniture, saves some money 
for the city. Then multiply the good which one 


300 


CIVICS 


Care of 
library 
books. 
Of street 
lights 


How the 
city may 
be served 


pupil can do by seven hundred thousand, — the 
number of public school pupils in the City of New 
York, — and you will see how much of the city’s 
money well-disposed pupils can save. 

All our public library books belong to the city, 
and, by using them carefully, children help to save 
city money. No boy who is a good citizen will 
break the glass of street lamps. Public money paid 
for it. Nor will any self-respecting boy or girl 
make chalk marks or pencil marks on walls or even 
on sidewalks. 

Every one should desire to be a good citizen. As 
we have seen, the care of public property and the 
saving of city money are two simple ways in which 
we can all serve our city. Keeping down the city’s 
expenses will also keep down the taxes for the citizens. 
Besides^ this is good citizenship, and therefore be¬ 
comes an important duty for every person who has 
the city’s welfare at heart. 

WHAT TO KNOW 

Sewer pipes lie under the pavements and carry off waste material 
and water. They are the largest pipes laid in the streets by the 
city. The larger sewer pipes empty their contents into rivers and 
bays around the City of New York. Small sewers connect the house 
sewer pipes with the larger pipes that carry sewage from the 
houses and streets to the rivers. Sewers lie under 2000 miles of 
streets. They are paid for by assessments. 

The city needs money to look after the welfare of its citizens 
and to pay for the water system, for the fire and police departments, 
the schools, and other departments. This money is received from 
property owners and is called taxes. Public property should be 


REVIEW 


SOI 


cared for by all good citizens, as it is paid for by all. Children 
should take care not to litter the parks, injure streets or street 
lamps, school or library books, or other city property. Children 
may be good citizens by caring for public property and by saving 
the city’s money. 

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY 

1. What are sewers used for? Where are the sewer pipes 
laid ? 

2. Into what waters is the sewage of the City of New York 
emptied ? How are sewers paid for ? 

3. Tell some things the city does for its citizens. 

4. How is money obtained to pay for the city’s expenses? 

5. Why do all share in ownership of public property? 

6. Tell some ways in which public property may be cared for. 

7. In what two ways can good citizens help their city? 
Why should citizens be careful of public property? 

LESSON XI 

Review lessons from VI to X, using the summaries 
and questions at the end of each lesson. Give 
attention to the more important facts only. 

GENERAL QUESTIONS 

1. Name three city departments about which you have 
studied. 

2. For what uses are pipes laid under the city streets ? 

3. In what three ways can children be good citizens ? 

Class Pledge 

I pledge myself to help keep my city clean and 
well governed, and to be careful in the use of public 
property. I will also defend the city at all times 
from those who speak against it. 







INDEX 


Albany, Fort Nassau built near, 
158. 

Fort Orange built near, 161. 
Alden (ol'den), John, 198. 
Algon'quins (-kinz), 120. 

America, discovered, 14-16, 23. 
named, 24. 

Amsterdam, Separatists in, 195. 
Amusements in colonial times, in 
New England, 247-248. 
in New York, 253-254. 

Annapolis (a-nap'6-lls), Md., 
founded, 230. 

An-til'i-a, 63. 

Ar-ma'da, Spanish, 79. 

Atlantic Ocean, crossed by Colum¬ 
bus, 12. 

crossed by Cabots, 65. 
feared by Spanish sailors, 13. 
Az'tecs, 47, 48, 50, 52. 

Bacon, Nathaniel, his rebellion, 
154, 155. 

Bahama (ba-ha'ma) Islands, the, 
Columbus lands at, 16. 
Bal-bo'a, 29—33. 

Baltimore, Baron, 222. 

Bar-ce-lo'na, Columbus at, 19. 
Berkeley (bhrk'll), Sir William, 
Governor of Virginia, 153-156. 
on education, 155. 
on religion, 156. 
on self-government, 156. 

Block, Captain Adrian, 158. 
Blockhouse, 244. 

Board of Health officers, 263. 
Bogardus (bo'gar-dus), Dominie, 
171. 

Boston, settled, 210. 

Bouweries (bou'er-is), 166. 

Bowery, The, 166. 

Bowling Green, 165, 


Bradford, Governor William, 1Q7— 
198. 

Brewster, William, 196, 204. 
Bris'tol, 63. 

Brooklyn, founded, 178. 

Brouage (broo-azh'), 113. 

Burgesses in Virginia, House of, 
149. 

govern in Maryland, 229. 
Burgomasters in New York, 182. 

Cab'ot, John, 63-68. 

Cabot, Sebastian, 63, 67-68. 

Ca'diz, Drake at, 79. 

Calvert (kal'vert), Cecil, 223. 
Calvert, Charles, 231. 

Calvert, George, 222. 

Calvert, Leonard, 223. 
regains Maryland from Ingle, 
230. 

Calvert, Philip, made governor, 
230. 

Can'a-da, 107, 115, 121. 
Ca-n5n'I-cus, 205. 

Cape Ann, Puritans settle, 208. 
Cape Cod, Puritans land at, 198. 
Cartier, Jacques (zhak kar-tya'), 
107-112. 

Carver, John, 197. 

Catholics, Maryland a refuge for, 

222 . 

Cavaliers, 153. 

Champlain (sham-plan), Samuel de, 

ii gg 

in Acadia, 116-117. 
in Canada, 115, 118-122. 

Charles I, 152. 

Charter, of Maryland, 223. 
of Massachusetts, 209, 216. 
of New Netherland, 168. 
of Rhode Island, 220. 
of Virginia, 130, 143. 


303 



304 


INDEX 


Chick-a-hdm'f-ny River, 132. 
Cipango (cf-pan'go), 57. 

Clay borne, his rebellion, 226, 229. 
his settlements on Kent and 
Palmer Islands, 226. 
Coddington, William, settles New¬ 
port, 220. 

Colonies, Life in the, 241-258. 
charters of the, 242. 
defects of the, 258-259. 

Middle, 249-254. 
nationalities in, 242. 

New England, 242-248. 
position of, 241. 

Southern, 255-257. 

Co-lum'bus, Christopher, 1-22. 
in chains, 21. 
plans of, 5-11. 
ships of, 12-13. 
voyages of, 11-22. 

Compact, The Mayflower, 198. 
Conant (ko'nant), Roger, 208. 
Cor'tes, Her-nan'do, 40-52. 
in Cuba, 41. 
in Mexico, 42-52. 
sinks his ships, 44. 

Cro-a-tan', 89. 

Cromwell (krom'wel), Oliver, 155, 
211, 215. 

Da Ga'ma, Vas'c5, 34. 

Dale, Governor, 143-147. 

his reforms, 145. 

Da-rt-en', 30, 32. 

Balboa at, 30, 32. 

De Cano (da ka'no), Sebastian, 
37. 

Defects of Colonial Life, 257, 258. 
Delaware, Lord, 142, 143. 

De Leon, Ponce (pon'tha da la-on'), 
25-28. 

De Monts (de moN'), 118. 

De Soto (da so'to), Hernando, 53- 
61. 

in Florida, 54-61. 
in Peru, 53. 

Dias (de'ash), Bar-thol'o-mew, 5. 
Drake, Francis, 69-82. 
in Panama, 73. 
knighted, 77. 


naval exploits of, 78-81. 
slavetrader, 71. 

voyage of, around the world, 
73-77. 

Dutch, The, 157-199. 

claim America, 169. 

Dutch East India Company, 97. 
Dutch explorers, 93, 97-104. 

Dutch West India Co., The, 161. 
Duties of citizens: 

not to use telephone needlessly, 
294. 

not to waste water, 279. 
to demand clean service, 268. 
to keep food clean, 270. 
to keep house clean and safe, 284, 
285. 

to report spoiled food, 270. 
to use clean bottles, 269. 
to use enough water, 280. 

Education in colonial times, in 
Massachusetts Bay, 213. 
in New England, 243. 
in New Netherland, 254. 
in southern colonies, 255. 

El Do-ra'do, 89-91. 

Electricity, 290-292. 
how measured, 291. 
uses of, 290. 
where produced, 290. 

Elizabeth, Queen, 72, 77, 84-86. 
Elkins (el'kins), Jacob, 160. 

Enciso (en-se'so), 29-30. 

Endicott (en'di-kot), John, 209. 
English, claim to New Netherland, 
169. 

take New Netherland, 190. 
English explorers, 63-105. 

Expense to city of public service, 
297. 

Florida, De Soto in, 54-61. 

discovery of, 26-27. 

Food, 261-270. 
amount needed, 261. 
care of, 264, 265. 
carting of, 262. 
cost of inspection of, 266. 
distance brought, 261. 



INDEX 


305 


Food — continued. 
inspection of, 263. 
method of handling, 262. 

Fort Amsterdam, 165. 

Fort at Plymouth, 202. 

Fort Cassimir (kas'I-mir), 185. 

Fort Nassau (nas'o), 158, 159. 

Fort Orange, 161. 

“ Fortune,” The, 158. 

Fountain of Youth, 26. 

Fourth Dutch Governor, 191. 
Freemen in Maryland, 227. 

French explorers, 106-122. 

Gas, 286-289. 
how made, 287, 288. 
meter, 288. 
pipe, 286, 287. 
tanks, 287. 
uses of, 289. 

. where it comes from, 286. 
General Court, The, 207. 

Genoa (jen'6-a), 2. 

Germantown settled, 236. 

Gil'bert, Humphrey, 83-85. 
Gomez, Estevan (es-ta-van' go'- 
math), 36. 

Gra-na'da, Columbus at, 10. 
Gren'ville, Sir Richard, 86. 

Guam (gwam), Magellan at, 37. 

Haiti (ha'ti), Columbus at, 21. 

Half Moon, 99-103. 

Harvard College, 213. 

Harvey, Sir John, 152. 

Hawkins, John, 71. 

Hen'rl-cus founded, 144. 

Henry, Prince of Portugal, 5. 
His-pan-io'la, 25. 

Ho'bo-ken attacked, 187. 

Holland begins New York settle¬ 
ment, 161. 

Holy Experiment, Penn’s, 240. 
House of Burgesses, 149. 

Housing of the People, 281-285. 
Hudson, Henry, 95-104, 158. 
his voyage of 1609, 99-103. 
his voyage to Hudson Bay, 103. 
his voyages for England, 95-97, 
103. 


Hudson River, explored, 101, 157. 
Hutchinson (huch'fn-sun), Mrs. 
Anne, settles Portsmouth, 220. 

Incandescent lamp, 291. 

Indentured servants, 222, 257. 
Indian wars, Kieft’s, 175. 

Indians, cruelly treated by De Soto, 
57. 

Jamestown colony, attacked by, 
132, 136, 141, 149. 

Maryland, treaty with, 225. 
Narragansett, 205. 

Penn’s treaty with, 238. 

Roger Williams’s treaty with, 218. 
Stuyvesant’s treaty with, 187. 
troubles with, in Virginia, 154. 
Indies, routes to, 4-6, 33. 

Ingle, Richard, his rebellion, 229. 
Inspectors, Board of Health, 263. 
Iroquois (lr-o-kwoi'), battle with 
Champlain, 120. 

Isabella, Queen, 11, 22. 

James I, 194. 

Jamestown, 126, 131-140. 
negro slaves brought in, 149. 
settled, 127. 

tobacco raised at, 147, 151. 

Kieft (keft). Governor, his govern¬ 
ment, 174. 

his council of eight, 178. 
his council of one, 174. 
his council of twelve, 176. 
his rules, 175. 
his wars, 175, 176. 
recalled, 179. 

Kublai (koo'bli) Khan, 3. 

La Co'sa, 28. 

Leyden (ll'den), 195. 

Loe, Thomas, 233. 

London Company, The, 126, 127. 
Long Island, part of New York, 192. 
separated from New Netherlands 
188. 

settled, 178. 

Madeira (ma-de'ra) Islands, 6 . 



306 


INDEX 


Magellan (ma-j£l'&n), 33-40. 
death of, 37-38. 
voyage of, 34-39. 

Magellan, Strait of, 36. 

Maiden’s Lane, 167. 

Maine, settlement on the coast of, 
194. 

Manhattan, Fort, 159. 

Manhattan Island, its first settle¬ 
ment, 158. 
first houses on, 163. 
in early days, 163. 
purchase of, 162. 

Maryland, 227-233. 

Calverts settle, 223. 

Claybome’s rebellion in, 226-229. 
coins made in, 231. 
colony regained, 230. 
first settlement at Kent Island, 
222 . 

government of, 229. 
growth of, 227, 232. 

Ingle’s rebellion in, 229. 
named, 223. 

St. Mary’s settled in, 224. 
tradehurtby Navigation laws, 231. 
Maspeth (maz'peth) settled, 178. 
Massachusetts, 194-216. 
a government provided for, 198. 
first landing at Cape Cod, 198. 
General Court (1638), 207, 213. 
government of Plymouth, 204. 
settlement on Maine coast, 194. 
Thanksgiving Day in, 206. 
the Pilgrims voyage to, 197. 
towns founded in, 207. 
Massachusetts Bay Colony, educa¬ 
tion in, 213. 
government in, 213. 
religion in, 212. 
religious persecution in, 213. 
trade with, 204. 

Massasoit (mas'a-soit), 204. 
Mauvila (mou-ve'la), 58-59. 

May, Captain, 159. 

May, Director, 162. 

Mayflower, The, 194. 
as a home, 201. 
compact, 198. 

Mexico, conquest by Cortes, 42-52. 


Middle Colonies, 249-254. 
amusements, 253, 254. 
climate, 249. 
dress, 252, 253. 
education, 254. 
food, 251. 
gardens, 251. 
houses, 250. 
occupations, 249. 
punishments, 254. 

Quaker life, 254. 

Minuit (mfn'u'lt), Peter, 162-171. 
captured, 171. 
his government, 165. 
his recall, 169. 

Mississippi River discovered, 59. 

Montezuma (mon'te-zoo'ma), 43- 
48. 

Mont-re-al' (-awl'), named, 109. 

Morris, Robert, sends army money, 
174. 

Mus'co-vy Company, 95-97. 

Narragansett (nar-a-gan'set) In¬ 
dians, 205. 

Nassau (nas'6). Fort, 158. 

Naumkeag (na'um-ke'ag), Conant 
settles, 208. 

Navigation laws, disobeyed in 
Massachusetts, 215. 
hurt trade in Maryland, 231. 

New Al'bi-on, 76. 

New Castle, colonists at, 236. 

New England, 194. 

New England Colonies, 242-248. 
amusement, 247, 248. 
dress, 246. 
education, 243. 
food, 245. 
homes, 244, 245. 
occupations, 242. 
punishments, 244, 247. 
religion, 243. 

New'found-land, 107. 

New France, 115, 122. 

New Neth'er-land, 104. 
becomes New York, 191. 
colony a success, 163. 

Company, 159, 



INDEX 


307 


New'port, 220. 

Newport, Captain, 134, 137. 

New York, 161-192. 

condition when taken by Eng¬ 
lish, 192. 

first step toward self-govern¬ 
ment, 179. 
gets a charter, 168. 
its first mayor, 192. 
taken, 190. 

Nicolls (nik'uls). Colonel, first 
English governor of New 
Netherland, 192. 
takes New Netherland, 190. 

Nifia (nen'ya), 12, 17, 19. 

Ojeda (o-ha'tha), 28. 

O-rl-no'co River, 90. 

Pacific Ocean, discovered, 31. 
named, 36. 

Palmer’s Island, 226. 

Pa'lSs, Columbus at, 11, 12, 19. 

Pam'li-co Sound, 85. 

Pan-a-ma', Balboa at, 30. 

Patroons, 168. 

Pauw (pou), Michael, 169. 

Pavonia attacked, 187. 

Penn, William, life of, 233, 234. 
his country house, 239. 
his good laws, 237. 
his treaty with the Indians, 238. 

Pennsylvania, 233-240. 
granted to Penn, 235. 
population of, 240. 
settlement of, 235. 

Philadelphia, city laid out, 236. 
founded, 235. 

Pilgrims, The, 198, 206, 207. 

Pillory and Stocks, 247. 

Pinos (pe'nos), Columbus at, 10. 

Pinta (pen'ta), 12, 17, 19. 

Pinzon (pen'thon), 11, 14, 17, 19. 

Plym'outh, 71, 73, 77, 145. 
joined to Massachusetts Bay 
Colony, 208. 
landing at, 200. 
settlement at, 202. 

Thanksgiving at, 206. 

Plymouth Rock, 201. 


Pocahontas (po-ka-hon'tas), 133- 
135, 140, 176. 

Po'lo, Mar'co, 3. 

Pontgrave (poN-gra-va/), 115. 
Popham, Sir John, 194. 

Porto Rico, 25. 

Port Royal, 116-118. 

Portsmouth, 224. 

Portuguese explorers, 5, 6, 23, 34. 
Pow-ha-tan', 133-134, 137-140, 

170-171, 174-176. 

Providence, Md., settled, 230. 
Providence, R. I., founded, 219. 
Public property, care of, 297-300. 
care of library books, 299. 
care of parks, 298. 
care of school supplies, 299. 
care of street lights, 300. 
why it should be cared for, 297, 
298. 

Puritans, emigration of, 211. 
in Maryland, 230. 
settle Massachusetts Bay, 208. 

Quaker beliefs, 233, 234. 

Quakers, in Massachusetts, 219. 
persecution of, in England, 234. 
settle Pennsylvania, 235. 

Quebec (kwe-bek'), 118, 120, 121, 
202, 204, 205. 

Raleigh (raw'ly), 83-92. 

and Queen Elizabeth, 85, 86. 
colonizing expeditions of, 85-89. 
death of, 92. 
imprisoned, 91. 

his search for El Dorado, 90, 91. 
Religious liberty, in Maryland, 
223, 229. 

in Pennsylvania, 235. 
in Rhode Island, 229. 

Rhode Island, 217-220. 
its charters, 220, 221. 

Newport and Portsmouth uuited 
to form, 220. 

Providence joined to, 220. 
religious freedom in, 220. 
settled, 220. 

Ro-a-noke' Island, 86-89. 
Ro-b&r-val', 111, 112. 



308 


INDEX 


Rolantsen (ro'lant-sSn), Adam, first 
schoolmaster in New Nether- 
land, 171. 

Rolfe (rolf), John, begins tobacco 
planting in America, 146. 
marries Pocahontas, 145. 

Roundheads, The, 153. 

Royal colonies, 242. 

St. Croix (kroi) River, 116. 

St. Lawrence River, 107-109. 

St. Malo (san ma-lo'), 107. 

St. Mark’s Church, 191. 

St. Marv’s settled, 224. 

Salem, 208, 209. 

Samoset (sam'o-set), 202. 

San Salvador (sal-va-dor'), 15-16. 

San'ta Maria (ma-re'a), 12, 17, 71. 

Schepen, 165, 182. 

Schout, 165, 182. 

Second Dutch governor, 165. 

Separatists, 195, 196. 

Sewer, The, 297. 
how paid for, 296. 
pipes, 296. 
use of, 296. 

Slave trade, 71. 

Slavery, introduced, in Jamestown, 
149. 

in New Amsterdam, 172. 

Smith, Captain John, 127-145. 
adventures of, 127-129. 
at Jamestown, 130-141, 145. 
injured by accident, 141. 
president of the council, 137. 

Southern Colonies, The, 255-259. 
amusements in, 255. 
dress in, 257. 
education in, 255. 
homes in, 256. 
hospitality in, 256. 
indentured servants in, 257. 
occupations in, 255. 

South Sea, 31. 

Spanish Ar-ma'da, 79. 

Spanish explorers, 2-62. 

Spanish Main, 71. 

Squanto (skwbn'to), 202. 

Stad-a-co'na, 109. 

Stadt Huys (his), 190. 


Standish, Captain Miles, 197. 

“ Starving Time,” The, 142. 

Staten Island attacked, 175. 

Stocks and Pillory, 247. 

Stuyvesant (sti've-s&nt), Peter, 
179-192. 

a good governor, 180. 
a strict ruler, 180. 
carries on Indian war, 186. 
conquers Swedes on the Dela¬ 
ware, 186. 

going to church, 183. 
his burial place, 191. 
his council of nine, 181. 
makes peace with Indians, 187. 
prepares for war, 183. 
surrenders New Netherlands, 190. 
Susquehannocks, 225. 

Telephone, the, 292-295. 
exchange, 294. 
invented by Bell, 294. 
use of, 293. 
value of, 294. 
wires, 293. 

Tenement House Departments, 
328, 284. 

Thanksgiving Day, first, 206. 

Third Dutch Governor, 173. 

“ Tiger,” The, 158. 

Tobacco, in Virginia, 147, 151. 

used as money, 151. 

TSs-ca-nel'H, 6. 

Town meeting in New England, 
213. 

Union Jack raised over New York, 
190. 

Upland, Quakers land at, 235. 

Valladolid (val-la-tho-leth'), 42. 
Van Rensselaer (ren'se-ler), 163. 
Van Twiller, 171-173. 
recalled, 173. 

second Dutch governor, 171. 

Vera Cruz (va'ra-kroos'), 42. 
Verrazano (v&r-rat-sa'no), 106. 
Vespucci, Amerigo (a-ma-re'go ves- 
poot'che), 23-24. 

Ves-pu'cius, A-mgr'i-cus, 24. 



INDEX 


309 


Virginia, 124-156. 
common storehouse, the, 144, 
145. 

growth of, 151. 

Indian troubles, 149. 
named, 86. 

Royal colony, a, 150. 

“ Starving Time,” in the, 142. 
Virginia Company, The, 225. 

“ Walking Purchase,” The, 239. 
Walloons, 161. 

Wall Street, 184. 

Wampanoags (wbm-pa-no'ags), 205. 
Watling Island, Columbus lands 
at, 16. 

White, John, 88-89. 


Williams, Roger, 217-220. 

driven from Massachusetts, 218. 
obliged to leave Boston, 218. 
settles Providence, 219. 

Windmill, use of, by Dutch, 166. 
Winslow, Edward, 198. 

Winthrop, John, 204. 
at Boston, 210. 

comes to Massachusetts Bay, 209. 
Puritans under, 209. 

Wyatt, Sir Francis, 149, 153. 

Yaocomicos (yako-mi’cos), 225. 
Yeardley (yerd'li), Governor, 147, 
148. 

York, Duke of, 188. 




















































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